The phone call from daycare while at work

I was taking notes on the meeting content while looking at the materials.

HR meetings tend to drift away if you lose focus.

Which positions need to be filled and by when.

Who will be conducting the interviews.

In the middle of such a discussion, my smartphone vibrated slightly.

I look at the screen.

"○○ Daycare"

The moment I saw those words, something shifted in my mind.

I haven't even answered the call yet.

I don't even know what happened.

And yet,

What should I do about the afternoon interview?

Who can I ask for help?

Can I reschedule the student appointments at this time?

Will I make it in time for the clinic's reception hours?

What is the temperature?

What kind of face is my daughter making right now?

I was talking about hiring just a few seconds ago, but my mind is already somewhere else.

Phone calls from daycare are strange.

The call lasts only a few seconds, but it changes the entire rest of the day.

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Since my daughter started attending daycare, I have received calls from them many times.

Fever.

Vomiting.

She fell and cut her mouth.

She hasn't been energetic since her nap.

There are various reasons.

Of course, the teachers don't call easily either.

That is precisely why I brace myself just by seeing the incoming call.

The phone rang.

It's just that.

But since becoming a parent, that "just that" is quite significant.

Just by seeing the name of the daycare on my smartphone, my plans for the day are rearranged in my head.

It might be something like a conditioned reflex.

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Working in HR, I feel the difficulty of changing schedules every day.

Interviews with students.

Recruitment events.

Meetings with on-site employees.

There are many appointments that involve other people.

Some of them can only happen at that specific day and time.

That's why when a call comes from the daycare, I worry about my daughter and also think about work at the same time.

What should I do about the interview?

What should I do about the event?

Who should I ask?

Honestly, I also feel apologetic.

Because asking for a sudden change in plans also means increasing that person's workload.

Working in HR, I sometimes see employees raising children leaving suddenly.

The old me used to think,

"That must be tough."

Of course, I thought I understood.

But thinking about it now, I feel like I didn't understand at all.

What is happening in that person's head the moment a call comes from the daycare?

It's not that they aren't thinking about work.

It's the opposite.

About the meeting.

About the interview.

About the team.

They are thinking about everything.

It's painful because they are thinking about everything.

Now, I can understand that feeling a little bit.

Thankfully, my current team really supports me.

"The interview is fine."

"I'll take care of this."

"Please go pick her up first."

I don't know how many times I've been saved by those words.

Every time a call comes from the daycare, I think that I'm not working alone.

And at the same time, I have nothing but gratitude for the members who say those things.

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Before, I wasn't that sensitive to sudden schedule changes.

I can manage if it's just a little bit.

I can just push it to tomorrow.

That was my feeling.

But after my daughter was born, and after I became a single father, things changed a little.

My parents are in Hokkaido.

It's not a distance where I can easily rely on them.

Have them watch her for a bit because she has a fever.

Have them just take her to the clinic.

Have them watch her for just a few hours.

Those options don't exist.

So, what I think the moment a call comes from the daycare is not,

"Who will go pick her up?"

It is,

"I will go pick her up."

It's a matter of course.

But there are moments when I suddenly remember that obvious fact.

A phone call from daycare might be like a switch for that.

I'm not usually conscious of it.

I'm working.

My daughter is healthy.

Every day goes on as usual.

But only the moment the call rings, I remember,

"Ah, I'm the only one who can do it."

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I head to the daycare to pick her up.

When I go in front of the classroom, the teacher explains my daughter's condition.

"Her fever went up a little after her nap."

"It's in the 38-degree range now."

Even though I'm listening with my head, my gaze keeps going toward my daughter.

My daughter is also looking this way.

When she found me, she stood up.

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A while ago, there was a day when my daughter had a high fever.

When I asked, "Are you okay?", my daughter nodded.

But then, without saying anything, she buried her face in my shoulder.

She wasn't okay at all.

But she said "I'm okay."

I don't know which one was true.

However, I felt that both were true.

The desire to be okay and the desire to be spoiled were both there.

It looked like she was expressing that just as it was.

I think she was doing her best in her own way.

Until I came.

Together with the teachers.

With her small body.

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Night.

Even after turning off the lights in the room, I go to check on my daughter several times.

I can hear her quiet breathing.

The blanket is kicked off a little.

I put my hand on her forehead.

It's still burning hot.

It was quiet, as if the busyness of the day was a lie.

I sit down next to her.

I think about tomorrow's schedule.

Interviews.

Meetings.

Emails.

There are many things to do.

But thinking about it doesn't provide an answer.

My daughter's fever might be down by morning, or it might not.

In the end, there isn't much I can do right now.

And today, the faces of the members who took on my sudden requests also come to mind.

"The interview is fine."

"I'll take care of this."

"Please go pick her up first."

I felt like I was carrying it alone during the day, so I think it's strange.

I put my hand on her forehead.

It's still burning hot.

I look at my smartphone again.

Tomorrow's schedule is still not decided.

But it's no use thinking about it now.

Thinking that, I end up checking the clinic's reception hours.

I'll probably do the same thing tomorrow morning.

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I write about my daily life as well, so please take a look if you'd like.