• tombruzzo
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    23 days ago

    What do people with normal jobs do when both parents are working and their kids are too sick to go to childcare?

    I have the one in person event I need to attend tomorrow and the way the kids are going that probably won’t happen. Are you supposed to take a day off work every time? Normal people can’t do that

    • Eagle
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      23 days ago

      We work out who has to go to work and for how long. We tend to swap, work half days each if needed. I can sometimes work from home. But at the end of the day, your kids are sick and need you, and work isn’t going to help pick your nursing home.

      • tombruzzo
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        23 days ago

        I took them to the doctor today and got a certificate for carers leave for tomorrow.

        I’m full WFH and tomorrow is like the one day a year event they want everyone to go to Marvel stadium for a bunch of pro work propaganda.

        I may be having problems with my manager, but I might need to ride this out or find another fully remote role because I don’t know how days like this will work otherwise

        • Eagle
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          23 days ago

          There isn’t one answer that suits all families, someone has to give each time. We have grandmothers, but they’re both older and medically compromised so we don’t ask them to do the sick days, but they do help on school holidays. Luckily both our bosses are pretty understanding, and we share the load. But it’s a constant assessment every time, and we don’t judge each other as parents for it. It isn’t easy.

    • NathA
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      23 days ago

      This right here is one of the major reasons we left Melbourne. We were on our own there, without any family support.

      To answer the question: One of us usually takes personal (carers) leave. Sometimes that isn’t possible, so we ask grandparents or my sister to help us out (if safe/not contagious). What often happens is that one of us is sick also, having caught whatever pestilence the child(ren) introduced to the house anyway.

      Don’t send the kids to daycare if they’re sick. You’ll just be lumping this hassle on other families. I was always resentful of parents who did that.

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        23 days ago

        I’ve had that where my own sick days have doubled up as carers days for the kids. Unfortunately the support network in the house isn’t great because the people who don’t work and have no other commitments can’t seem to get up before noon or even just walk the kids down to thr park

      • CEOofmyhouse56
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        23 days ago

        Hi Nath. We’re missing a tram. Could you please help? It bothers me more than it should. Thanks

        • NathA
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          23 days ago

          Good morning (It’s still Morning in Perth so Nyer)!

          Baku is right - the tram is in fact still there. What’s happening here is your phone thinks it has the image cached, and so isn’t loading it from the web server - instead displaying a local version of it. Only there’s a problem with that local copy of the image. If you visit https://aussie.zone/c/melbourne in your browser you’ll see that the tram is there.

          What app do you have there? I thought I had all the main Android apps (Boost, Connect, Jerboa, Voyager and Sync), but none of them seem to match this screenshot. Whichever it is, you’ll want to find a setting to clear the local cache. You can clear the cache from Android settings, but that will probably clear your account and make you log in again.

          Bit drastic, but I suppose I could upload a new icon. Your phone would recognise that it doesn’t have the new one in its cache and would load it. That would affect everyone though. Then again, maybe its time to upgrade from a W class to a Z class tram? 😀

          • CEOofmyhouse56
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            23 days ago

            I have the Aussie Zone app

            When I go into Chrome, it’s also missing and I believe I’m not the only one. Also Perth’s is missing too.

        • Bottom_racer
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          23 days ago

          I seem to have a tram on desktop

          edit oh you mean in the actual DT thread?

          • CEOofmyhouse56
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            23 days ago

            Yeah. I’ve got the tram on the Melbourne page but it’s missing from the communities page thus the dt.

            Also do youse all have black backgrounds? Am I the only one who prefers a crisp white?

            • Bottom_racer
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              23 days ago

              Yea black background for me saves about 2 cents a year on electricity :) Worth it.

    • Duenan
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      23 days ago

      If you’ve got parents or someone who is able to help that can also be another avenue.

      If you send kids to childcare and they’re deemed too sick to stay or they’re contagious you may get a call to come pick them up anyway.

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        23 days ago

        My girlfriend’s family live with us, so her mother and her brother are here, but I don’t really want to leave my kids in their hands.

        My parents are up in NSW so whilst they’d be a little better they’re just not an option

        • TinyBreak
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          23 days ago

          Assuming its your place, what the heck is the point in them being there if they cant look after the kids?

          • tombruzzo
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            23 days ago

            It’s technically my girlfriend’s place and she got it for her mother. Her mumcan’t work because she’s the carer of my girlfriend’s aunt who had a stroke. Her husband left her and they had to sell the house so this is the solution to keep her family out of renting forever.

            Her brother has been allowed to stay in his room so he’s in his mid 20s and has never had a job before. He’s autistic but that’s no reason to let him become a shut-in with no prospects.

            • TinyBreak
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              23 days ago

              Wow. Sounds like a lot dude. Respect for helping out family like that.

              • tombruzzo
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                23 days ago

                It’s not ideal and it’s tough. I just wish everyone was trying their hardest to make it work here

                • TinyBreak
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                  22 days ago

                  to be really blunt, I think it should be a requirement rather than a wish if yous girlfriends place.

                  • tombruzzo
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                    22 days ago

                    I feel that way too. I think we’ll need to have more serious conversations about how things are done here

      • tombruzzo
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        23 days ago

        Unfortunately I live with the less useful side of the family. I avoid sending them when sick, even when they’re just clingy because I know it will disrupt the carers’ plans for the other kids.

        There are just a fair few days like this, and responding to a call to pick them up would take too long if I was in an office in the city and got thr call to pick them up

    • melbaboutown
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      23 days ago

      The system was designed for one person to stay at home running the household and covering childcare, or to have backup from extended family. Now that two incomes are needed and nuclear families are more isolated parents in this situation are kind of screwed.

      Friends could help but either you wouldn’t have time to make them, they can’t afford to live close by, or they’re working too

      • tombruzzo
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        23 days ago

        This is definitely part of it. I feel like suburbs and urban development don’t help either. People don’t work where they live anymore so it’s expected to live on one side of the city and work on the other side.

        Suburbs used to be build around something like a factory or an industrial area. Now you live in one place, shop in another, and work somewhere else