It is critical NOT to wait until your children show symptoms of a sickness before taking them to the doctor. You need to be a proactive and not a reactive parent.
For example, you notice that your child is constantly touching his left ear and not drinking as much milk as he used to. This may be the result of an ear or throat infection and you will need to take the day off to take your child to the doctor. Even if it is diagnosed that your child is not sick, rest assured that you've done your due diligence. You do not want to wait until your child is constantly crying while holding his ear.
The problem with this is that you're at the mercy of your boss or job function. If there is a problem taking many days this may affect your performance review. If you think that your job is safe consider that your salary is nothing but an expense to the company. Companies are constantly looking for creative ways to cut expenses because they are under pressure to increase earnings quarter after quarter. This is especially true if it's a publicly traded company.
Another variable surfaces as the children get older. There are now graduations, plays, dance shows, or other special events that will require your attendance. In these situations, you may need to leave work early or not show up to work at all. Your children will never forget you not showing up to important events in their life.
You may want to consider speaking with your spouse about one of you staying home while the other works. In this way, one person can fully focus on making money for the family while the other person takes care of the family.
Since having a job nowadays is a very tenuous it would be wise to also consider alternate sources of income or ways to reduce expenses.
It's important to plan ahead in the even unforeseen events happen.
What plan have you created with your spouse or boss to handle the probability of you taking many days off from work?
