Bereavement time

[bright sparks]

Also being sensitive to others, maybe your clients do not have jobs that allow them to have extra sick days. Not all work for the government with greater benefits. Some are like us self employed and need to make their ends meet. They might need to pay someone else to care for their child so they do not loose on working days. I would just probably let them be at least they will be there when you come back.

Regardless of the parents situation and circumstances, her bad attitude, blatant rudeness and disrespect are completely unacceptable. She could have absolutely got her point across to the OP of difficulties in finding alternative care in a much nicer way, although how inappropriate and selfish to make this all about her. Suck it up, figure it out. These are exceptional circumstances and the OP is actually doing her a favour by forwarning her of what's to come which most people don't have the ability to know. Also after the fact that this parent said what she did and in the manner she did, nobody would have my sensitivity towards their situation. If I was in the OP's situation, I wouldn't give a toss about anyone else, I'd simply be consumed by the fact that one of my closest family members was going to pass away.

I don't have anything in my contract, I'd take it unpaid because I have a contract that states if I close for any reason then the parents don't pay. It is irrelevant what an agencies policies are unless you are signed up with an agency. My entire family is in the UK so I'd likely have to close my business down as I'm the one to have to sort out everything and that would take significant time and then afterwards is when I'd likely crumble and need additional time just to be...