My co-worker, the other girl (there are only two of us)  in my department filed for a week leave because her two boys are sick. It’s been quite lonely here without her actually. She sits beside me and I miss our little girly chats. She just took off like that without telling me so I was worried and asked for some information. Someone told me that her two children are sick so she has to stay home. Her husband works for the same company but is normally working while she is on leave. Now I know that this is the norm, that aside from the social expectation that mothers should stay at home, the kids want moms than dads when they are sick.

I don’t have the luxury to become a stay at home mom and I am thankful that when Pristine is sick, I have my mother to take care of her, except for the times when I have to drive her to the hospital for checkup or I am not so overloaded with work, then I file for leave. I am lucky to have someone I really trust when it comes to my daughter. It breaks my heart though to see her cry as I walk out the door.