Working Moms know this phone number by heart. As you see it pop up on your smartphone, a giant weight falls over you. Should you pick it up? Or let it go to voicemail? Once you see this phone number, the amount dread and anxiety that comes over stops you in your tracks.
The phone number belongs to… your childcare provider.
On the one hand you know you should pick it up because it could be an emergency. On the other hand, 9 times out of 10, it’s not an emergency, and your kid is either sick, got in a fight, or doing something weird that the caretaker doesn’t want to deal with.
Let’s face it, Junior is a daycare kid (and he’ll probably become a latchkey kid). He is bound to be a little sick… basically all of the time.
Yesterday, I got the call. I had actually missed the call because I was in a meeting. Once I saw that number pop up on my cell phone AND my work phone, I braced myself.
Teacher: “Hi, this is Miss Bianca, Junior is really fussy and won’t go down for any nap.”
My Head: “(dammit)”
My Voice: “Oh no, that’s a shame”
Teacher: “He has a temperature of 99.5 which is elevated, I think he wants his mommy, did you want to come pick him up?”
My Head: “(This chick is crafty, she formed her question in a way where if I didn’t pick him up, I would feel guilty)”
My Voice: “… well, I actually have a couple of meetings… and I really need to catch up on some work… and I have this huge deadline… (sighs) sure. I’ll come get him in a little bit.”
I lose.
Again.
I hate that phone number.