#190 In which our hero stages an impromptu bring your daughter to work day due to Bacterial Conjunctivitis.

That is to say, pink eye.

The Scientist noticed that Lily’s eyes were a little crusty Monday evening, and we both jumped to the conclusion that it was pink eye. Lily had a bout of this when she was two, and we still had the medicated eye drops from then. We got a jump on things and medicated her, hoping that the medicine hadn’t congealed into poison during the year it sat on a dusty shelf.

Now, the last time this happened I seem to remember Lily not being exactly enthusiast about eye drops, but not being especially difficult, either. My, how things have changed! At first she was okay with the daddy-is-going-to-hold-me-down game, but once the first drop hit her eye she was done with that bullshit. She squirmed and thrashed about, screaming “Get off me! Get off me! No! It burns! It burns!” Vampires splashed with holy water have reacted more calmly than my little girl.

I took her into see the doctor the next morning (the same boring doctor who always seems to be available for last-minute appointments) and he confirms it’s pink eye. And he says it’s okay to use the drops we already have. But, as anyone with kids already knows, she’s only slightly less contagious than Typhoid Mary, and can’t go to day care.

So she comes to work with me.

I’m lucky in that the agency is pretty family-friendly. People are always bringing in their kids, so it’s cool that Lily tagged along. Especially considering that it’s impossible for The Scientist to do her job and watch a kid at the same time; for me, it’s only very difficult.

Thankfully, I had a light day, and was able to blow off a meeting, leaving me more or less free to mind my child. And finally the sofa pays off! And even more critical is the portable DVD player. I set it up on the ottoman, plopped Lily on the sofa and let her pick out movies. She remained entertained for nearly the entire day, by Spongebob mostly.

Planning this outing the day before I had serious reservations. But Lily was really good and, honestly, I loved having her here. We walked around the agency a couple of times, meeting people. I think my kids are just about the most adorable children on the planet, so I thoroughly enjoyed playing the proud papa.

And Lily didn’t let me down -- she was absolutely charming and polite the entire time. She said please and thank you with minimum prompting. She would have been free with the hugs, too, if I didn’t warn everyone that she was a plague-bearer. And who can resist that crazy red hair, y’know?

It wasn’t my most productive day, but it was the most fun. And considering that most everyone gave her candy and/or toys, she enjoyed it too. So much that this morning she says to me, “Daddy, I want to go to work with you!”

Sorry, kid. Daddy’s got real work to do today. We’ll talk next time you get sick.