What would you do?

Nuclearcupcake · January 2014

This morning a friend texted me asking if I was awake, I wasn't but I asked what she needed. Her 5 month old wasn't allowed to go to daycare today because she has bronchitis. I have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old and they have mild colds. I also tweaked my back and am really sore. She asked of I would watch her so she could go to work. I told her I didn't want to her or the boys to get sicker and I don't want to be around that and risk getting it myself. She responded that "she wasn't contagious anymore, she's just coughing so much she's having a very hard time breathing" I told her I was sorry but I wasn't comfortable watching her if daycare wouldn't take her. She got really upset with me. Would you have watched her?

haliebabyx3 · January 2014

After the "hard to breathe text" I probably wouldn't have watched her either. It would just make me nervous if something were to happen and she quit breathing, especially if she were in my hands for the day.

BlckRoses · January 2014

I don't think I would. Daycare wouldn't take her because she was sick and might infect the other kids. That's a good reason to not have her at your house, so she doesn't infect your kids or yourself. Your friend has no idea if her kid isn't contagious anymore. And her not wanting to use up her PTO at work (or take it unpaid) is not a good reason to possibly infect your kids with bronchitis, which is a serious thing. Also, I don't want to be responsible for someone else's kid who is having trouble breathing!

I think your friend was being unreasonable getting upset with you for not wanting to expose your children to an illness. She should have just let it drop when you said no. I'm on team nuclearcupcake!

OutdoorGirl10 · January 2014

Probably not, mainly because if my kids were still sick I wouldn't want to risk getting her kid sick again.

PecanSam · January 2014

Nope, I wouldn't have. My sister and I don't watch each other's kids, when they are sick. We don't even ask.

There is no way your friend knew if the baby was contagious.

tamarar5 · January 2014

I wouldn't have either. You don't need to cross contaminate the kids. Sure hers might not be contagious but who is to say that yours still aren't? (Not saying they are.) I wouldn't want to risk expressing a child who was already having breathing problems to anyone with a cold. If her kid is that sick she should be staying home.

Don't feel guilty one bit!

Jennicillin · January 2014

Nope, wouldn't have done it. I think it's unreasonable for her to even ask honestly...

krisbaby21 · January 2014

No way. I don't mess around with sickness around here. And for her to even ask you and put you in that position isn't cool. Especially since you have little ones sick and you are pregnant. She will get over it.

MAtoMEbride · January 2014

Totally unreasonable and selfish of her to ask in my opinion. And the fact that she's mad because you had to say no is even worse. Yikes.

shevaCC · January 2014

That is asking a HUGE favor. I would only ask a friend to watch my DD if I could easily reciprocate. While healthy. I wouldn't want to be responsible for a child with breathing problems, I wouldn't want to expose my kids or myself to a sick kid (I don't believe that she's not contagious), I wouldn't want to expose the child to more illness, the list goes on. She's fully trying to take advantage of you -- good for you for standing your ground.

Just curious, does she ask for favors often? Does she ever reciprocate/make it worth it to be her friend?

Nuclearcupcake · January 2014

Thank you ladies! Yea my boys have the little mild cold thing going on so they have runny noses that's about it but I wouldn't let them have a play date or anything. I haven't seen the baby in months so she wouldn't know who I was anymore either I think it was October last time I saw her? Sick babies just want mama so a "stranger" won't make it better. Would I have taken her if all the kids were better? Of course! I've never dealt with bronchitis so I wouldn't know what was normal. I'm so glad I'm not alone here.

Nuclearcupcake · January 2014

shevaCC said:
That is asking a HUGE favor. I would only ask a friend to watch my DD if I could easily reciprocate. While healthy. I wouldn't want to be responsible for a child with breathing problems, I wouldn't want to expose my kids or myself to a sick kid (I don't believe that she's not contagious), I wouldn't want to expose the child to more illness, the list goes on. She's fully trying to take advantage of you -- good for you for standing your ground.

Just curious, does she ask for favors often? Does she ever reciprocate/make it worth it to be her friend?

We have helped each other in the past, but not with sick kids. She helped my husband yesterday but I wasn't involved in that really and I wouldn't have thought to ask her. They are military and DH lost his ID so she escorted him on base but it was my understanding she was in the area anyway and he asked his best friend who lives with her so idk. Until she escorted him home I hadn't seen her since October and talked to her since Christmas. She's just had a bunch of stuff going on that takes up all her free time on top of having a little one. But when she came in she asked how I was and I told her how bad my back hurt and how crappy I feel this week. *shrug* like I said if the baby was feeling better and mine were I would have taken her anytime if they needed me to.

What would you do?

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