Since the school year has begun I’ve taken three days. My kids have taken more days.

My oldest had a fever and he stayed home alone. My daughter had to stay home for two days and I was able to arrange care. My youngest was getting sick on a Thursday. I gave him Motrin and sent him to school on Friday. He was ok until the afternoon and he slept at after the after school program. He was sick over the weekend and got back to school on Monday. Monday afternoon he got really sick (pneumonia) so I had to miss two days.

I power through with DayQuil. I also spend hours reading the IDEA law so I’m not absolutely steamrolled at my kid’s IEP meeting. They try to steamroll me anyway but I got my kid evaluated by the top specialist in the state AND I got them to reimburse me. They are paying to bring a specialist in for my kid and I advocate for others. I also run a support group for my kid’s disability (stuttering). Don’t worry- I direct my fire toward the administrators who illegally deny my kid services, not the providers.

Being poor is fucking exhausting and expensive. I have an education and I value it so I am on top of my kid’s for homework.

PSA - if you meet a person who stutters, the polite thing to do is to let them talk. They know what they want to say. It’s a neurological disorder that results in a disconnect between the brain and the vocal cords. Their vocal cords don’t cooperate. Anxiety makes it worse. Give them support through that awkward silence