Asthma & Working Mom Woes

It's hard to believe that this tough kid could have asthma.  I mean look at him, all boy... with bruises and a snotty nose!

I'm having t-shirts made to say "you should see the other baby!"

But, alas, he does.  He's been wheezing and coughing for the past week and the inhaler we tried last week just didn't do the trick.

So when Miles woke up at 3:30 AM Monday morning coughing and wheezing and miserable and didn't go back to sleep until 5 AM I decided to take him back to the Dr.  Her diagnosis is childhood asthma.  My niece and nephew both had it and outgrew it, so it's not a huge deal... but my heart does break for him when he has to take his inhaler and he doesn't really understand and cries... :(

Mostly he is a total champ about it though.  See above picture of my little Batman!

But here is the conundrum -- work.  Agh, work.  Being a working mom and balancing life (ie - house, kids, family time) is one of the hardest things I've ever done.  No matter what I do there is not enough time in the day.  And I don't even know how single parents get it all done.

But being a working mom with a sick kid has to be the worst thing ever.  Miles has been off and on sick a lot more than I expected since I've started working.  Croup, colds, puking, and that allergy to milk have really eaten up my sick time... and then some... and then some more.  And I feel so stupid calling in sick yet AGAIN.  Even though my boss is exceptionally nice about it (not especially happy about it, but nice all the same).  But if I were him I'd fire me.  It's just getting ridiculous.  Especially since I can't seem to manage taking Miles on a Dr. visit and then making it in to the office afterward.  I try, but when Miles falls asleep in my arms coughing and wheezing I just can't force him into the car and back to school.  I have such HUGE guilt weighing on my chest that just screams - hold your sick baby, he is your priority.  But then when I talk to my boss the guilt is almost just as big.  I have a job to do. And since it's commission, I literally cannot afford to be away from it so often. 

And the guilt just never ends.  Wednesday at 11 AM I got a call from Miles' daycare saying that he had a fever and needed to be picked up... and did I mention that Tony is out of town for work this week.  So I had to hang my head in shame as I told my boss that I had to leave work yet again for my sick son.  I mean, at this point I work there less time than Kim Kardashian's marriage lasted!  Okay, not the best social reference (I'm not even sure it made sense) but I really wanted to work that in somewhere...

So, I'm not really sure what my point is here.  I like working.  And I REALLY like working where I do.  But I just can't seem to win.  The guilt is everywhere.  But when it comes down to it, Miles always wins my time.  I just hope my job continues to be okay with it.