Needless to say, it is never enjoyable to hear your children cry out during the night, only to go in and find out they have thrown-up all over their bed. I was reminded of just how miserable this is last night when my wife and I heard our two-year old daughter start to cry around 11:00. We both went in to find vomit covering her bed, her pajamas, and smeared in her hair. My wife got her undress and into the bathtub, while I peeled the bedding and got it into the washing machine. She was sick several more times throughout the night and it was abundantly clear we had a sick little girl on our hands.
Kids get sick all the time, nothing unusual there. What I find unusual about these situations is the reaction I get from people when they find out I am usually the one who stays home with the sick kids. I get surprised looks and sputtered words. Invariable, the conversation ends with something along the lines of “Wow, I think that is great that you [as a dad] would be willing to stay home with the kids.” It isn’t really a question of being willing (I am always willing to stay home with the kids), it just is easier for me to take off work than it is for my wife. As a teacher, it isn’t fun getting together “emergency” lesson plans and I always seem to have a lot more work when I get back, but what else am I going to do. My wife works in health care, she has patients scheduled, and it is a nightmare for her to use a sick day. I don’t think it is a big deal to stay home with a sick kid, but apparently it is; or maybe it is just expected that mommy will stay home, while daddy goes to work.
Dads are much more involved with their families then they were 20 or 30 years ago; sharing household chores, doing the grocery shopping, helping with homework, but it seems that there are still some areas dads don’t seem to venture into. Staying home with the sick kids seems to be one of them.
Surely, I am not the only dad who is willing to stay home with sick kids am I? I doubt it, but the reactions I get from other adults when they find out I am home because my daughter is sick, leads me to think otherwise.