“Come on, you lazy woman. It’s not like you have kids waiting at home!” my entitled coworker sneered, demanding I cover her shifts. It wasn’t the first time she’d belittled me for being childless, but I made sure it would be the last. What would you do if a coworker called you “lazy” for not having kids and demanded you cover their shifts? That’s the situation I found myself in. I’m Suzanne and I’m 35 years old. And when my entitled coworker Amy dropped that bomb on me, I was stunned into silence. But sometimes, life has a way of evening the score.
So, here’s what happened last week. The retail store where I worked hummed with activity as I straightened a rack of blouses, my feet already aching in my shoes. I glanced at my watch and realized I had two more hours till closing. “Suzanne!” Amy’s voice cut through the store’s ambient noise. I turned to see her hurrying towards me, her purse already slung over her shoulder. “I need a huge favor.” “Can you close for me tonight? Ethan’s got a fever, and the sitter’s freaking out.”
“Tonight? I’m sorry, but I’ve already made plans. My sister is visiting from Australia, and we’ve arranged to—” “Plans?” Amy’s eyebrows shot up. “Come on, you lazy woman. It’s not like you have kids waiting at home! And you can always spend time with your sister on the weekend. I’m in a real bind here, and I need your help. “I felt my cheeks flush. “Amy, I’ve covered for you three times this month already. I can’t always do it.”
“Forget it,” she snapped, already turning away. “I’ll figure it out myself. Some of us don’t have the luxury of having ‘plans’ when we’ve got actual responsibilities.” A cold dread settled in my stomach as I watched her storm off. This wasn’t the first time Amy had made me feel small for not having children. And I had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t be the last. Later that night, I recounted the interaction to my husband, Ryan, as we sat on our patio. The string lights overhead cast a warm glow, but I couldn’t shake the chill from earlier.
Ryan’s brow furrowed as he listened. “That’s completely out of line, Suze. You can’t let her keep treating you like this.” I sighed, swirling the wine in my glass. “What am I supposed to do? Go crying to management because my coworker hurt my feelings?” “It’s not about hurting feelings. It’s about respect in the workplace. You work just as hard as anyone else there. Having kids doesn’t give her the right to dump her shifts on you all the time.”
“I know. It’s just… sometimes I feel like maybe she’s right. Maybe I am being selfish. If I had kids, I’d understand.” “Hey.” Ryan’s hand covered mine. “Don’t do that to yourself. We’ve been through enough without taking on guilt for something that’s not our fault. “The next day, I was in the stockroom when I overheard Amy talking to our coworker, Lisa. “I swear, Suzanne acts like she’s too important to help out. Must be nice to clock out and have zero responsibilities. What a lazy witch!”