Why do so many people use their kids as an excuse to call into work?

Question

You know that half the time that its a lie. "oh I can't find a babysitter" "oh my kid is sick"

Does anybody else see something wrong with this?

Ok obviously none of you understood what I was trying to say. Im talking about the parents who use kids as an EXCUSE. If the kid is sick, then fine the kid is sick. A lot of parents just want to stay home so they make up some LIE that thier kid is sick or they can not find a babysitter. Geeze guys why dont you read through the whole thing before you answer.

Answer 1

They probably do it because the child is too young to stay at home alone. I don't trust anyone with my kids other than their father and their grandparents. Luckily my place of employment worked with me on my hours so I don't have this problem.

Answer 2

Obviously you don't have children or you would know how difficult it is when a child is sick or if there's no one available to care for them. Daycare WILL NOT take a sick kid, and when a child wakes up sick it's not always easy to find a babysitter on short notice.

There is a difference between an excuse and a legitimate reason to miss work. It's stupid for a parent to lie about their kids being sick because there will be plenty of times when they really need to miss work for their kids. Get a clue. People who lie to get off work say "I have a dentist appointment," "I had a death in the family," or "I'M sick today."

Answer 3

Do you have kids? If you do, you would know and understand that you have to drop everything when it comes to your kids. There are times when you really can't find a babysitter. There are times when your child is sick, and if they are running a fever, the day care will NOT take them that day b/c they could spread it to other children there. I have 3 kids, and sometimes my husband and I can't go anywhere b/c we don't have a babysitter. What are we supopsed to do? Leave them home alone?? Hell no! There was two days I couldn't go to work b/c my daughter had the chicken pox! That is very contagous, and I can't just drop her off at daycare. As a mother, it's my responsibility to take care of my children. And I don't hesitate at all to stop whatever I'm doing to tend to their needs. They ARE more important than my job, yes I can't take care of them w/o my job, but if my job put me in a situation where I had to choose, I would definately choose my children.
On the other hand, there are those lazy parents that just take advantage of it, and blame everything on their kids. THAT is messed up.

Answer 4

Having 5 children, I never had time to use one of them as an excuse. My youngest child had tubes in his ears 3 times, in two years. Not only that, but got the chicken pox twice, and then shingles. His steroid treatments for his asthma made him have a low immunity. My oldest has rheumatoid arthritis, and needed to have therapy for awhile.

My boss even raised her eyebrow, saying I think I heard this one before? But I offered to show her medical records. It basically got down to trust. I loved my job, and made up for my time lost. Still had better numbers than the other people in my department, even though I basically worked part time for two years.

Anyone who ever says "I can't get a sitter" should not be employed there in the first place. A sitter is something you look for, before you get a job.

Anything else, no matter how often you hear it, is probably a parent who really has a sick kid.

Answer 5

As a single dad, I have, on occasion had to miss work because my daughter was sick. Usually, my mom can watch her for me, but there have been times when that wasn't possible. I've also taken my daughter to work with me a few times, so I wouldn't have to miss work. Fortunately, she's very well mannered and it's a small office where everyone looks out for one another. She sits in the corner and colors or plays with her dolls or reads books. My point is that on rare occasion it may just be an excuse to miss work, just like people without kids will sometimes call in sick even when they aren't . Most folks, though, if they call in because their kids are sick, the kids really are sick.

Answer 6

You can usually tell the difference between a parent that uses their kid as an excuse and the parent that has a sick kid. Listen for the worry in their voice. If my daughter is sick enough to keep me home from work, then it's serious.

Answer 7

Most people have a soft spot in their hearts for children, and an employer will accept an excuse for an employee missing work if it has anything to do with a child rather than appear heartless if the excuse was questioned and people who use their children as an excuse know this.

Answer 8

From my experience, most parents don't lie about their child being sick. I think there are some parents who are hyperchondriacts and call out whenever thier child has the sniffles, but I don't think it's rampant. Honestly, myself, and about 85% of my office are working parents, and we really struggle w/calling out because we understand that it puts a strain on our employers and because many people see it "an excuse" to call out, so I don't think it's as abused as you think. Most responsible parents call out only when necessary. But if you catch someone lieing, then they should be called out on it and reprimanded because it makes those who legitimately need to call out look bad. Unfortuntately there are enough inconsiderate people around who ruin it for the rest of us.

Answer 9

It is not Fair for the workers without kids. those workers Need time off they can't because the parent is consider first not by the worker with the most seniority. It is not the employers fault the poor single parent can't handle it by themselves It is mostly divorce/ never been married parents that do this . i feel that one of the reasons why people lose their jobs (absenteeism).

Answer 10

I thought it was unfair until I had children of my own and it is only then you can understand these things.

My son comes before ANYTHING, work, play whatever it is I would drop it in a second for my son.

And if my boss doesn't like that then f**k him, he's not important to me.