Ask the Expert Dr. Kathleen Wells is a professional career coach and Director of Coaches That Care. She has coached thousands of clients through the stages of successful career development. Bosses reaction to child care problems Q: My boss and I have always had a great work relationship. But recently I had to take several sick days to attend to family problems dealing with child care. Now I feel like I am getting the cold shoulder and that I’m being left out of important meetings. Should I confront her about it? Betty D. A: Confront is too strong a word. You never want to actually confront a co-worker or boss. Discussion is great though. Without good communication a difficult situation could become intolerable when a little clearing of air would take care of it. First, look at your boss's side of this. Was she left in a real pinch because you had to be gone? Is she stressed and still trying to catch up? How can you help catch things up if that is the case? It always helps to think about how we would feel on the other side of the fence. Second, have you told her how sorry you are about the difficulty? Also, what have you done to ensure it doesn't happen again? We all have childcare problems pop up, but for instance, have you added a plan c to your plan a and b for childcare? Can you show her you have done everything you can to see your children are well cared for in an emergency to prevent a recurrence of your having to be gone from work? Keep her informed about your childcare plans so she knows you've done everything humanly possible to prevent a repeat. Finally, tell her how much you enjoy working for the company and for her. If you continue to feel slighted, let her know you would not have been gone if you could help it and ask outright if there are any other problems. All of this in a very tactful and non confrontation way. Keep the lines of communication open--now. Don't let this get out of hand and ruin a good thing.