Coworker Criticizes Mom For Leaving Work Early When Her 19-Year-Old Son Was in the Emergency Room at the Hospital

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jun 29, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

He's still her baby, even though he's 19!

If your child is in the emergency room, you should be allowed to leave work, no matter how old your child is or how severe their problem is. I don't care if you're 60 and your child is 40. They're your baby forever, and if they're sick and in the emergency room, chances are they want their parent with them instead of sitting in bed by themselves. If your boss or coworker shames you for leaving the office to attend to your sick child, they are not a good person. 

There's a reason why we use the professional language of "family emergency" instead of telling our coworkers exactly why we're leaving work. It's none of their business what kind of medical issue (or any issue) your family member is dealing with. Even if you're comfortable telling, they might be unsympathetic when they find out what's going on. If your 25-year-old son has an anxiety attack that he mistakes for heart problems, they might be mad at you for skipping work more than they'd be if you specified that your 15-year-old daughter needed to get her appendix out. At the moment, both situations are incredibly urgent and absolutely worth leaving work over. 

The mom in this story left work early because her son is desperately afraid of needles, and she knew that he would need her support in the ER. Her coworker was not so sympathetic over her situation, because her son is 19 and he thinks that he should grow up and get over his phobias. I wouldn't tell this guy any personal information ever again if he spoke to me like this. 

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