It is the responsibility of the working parent to make sure that they have the right childcare arrangements.

There is no denying that juggling parenthood and work commitments is tough, not least when the planned babysitter falls through. However, millions of parents the world over normally find a way to make it happen. It is just one of those extra responsibilities that working parents have to take on.

Of course, an important part of this is having a workplace and colleagues that are accommodating in the case of parenting struggles. Commitment to the job must be demonstrated, but there has to be some understanding that kids come first. It is the only way to balance these two very different areas of life.

That being said, there is a limit to the amount of sympathy an employee can gain at work by being a parent. Ultimately, their kids and their responsibility, and their coworkers have their own lives to focus on. It isn’t fair to constantly expect everybody else to be moving things around for the sake of children that aren’t theirs. While it doesn’t always feel possible, things need to be planned ahead to minimize any disruption that could happen.