I work full-time.  Three 12 hr. shifts a week and every 3rd weekend.  When my SWCAH son was born I didn’t work for his first year of life because he was so sick and constantly in the hospital.  After a year, I worked part-time and then when my husband lost his job in 2003 I had to work full-time to carry benefits and pay the bills.  I have to tell you it has been awful trying to have a full-time job and take care of a chronically ill child. My son has been very sick this month and has only managed to go to school 1 day.  He was diagnosed with a bleeding disorder and most recently asthma on top of everything else.  I have used most of my vacation time to stay home with him.  I also have FMLA (Family and Medical Leave of Absence) so my days off cannot be used against me.  Our endo. filled out the paperwork and I now have 60 days per year to use intermittently to care for my son. Each time I have to miss work, I have to produce a doctor’s note explaining the situation.  Not all employers offer this.  My employer is by no means empathetic about what I have to go through, but they cannot fire me for it with FMLA.  Good Luck,  I understand!