Monday 1 November 2021

What does it mean to Jobba, Vabba, or Vobba?


Jobba, Vabba, Vobba... What do these common Swedish terms mean? If you're not a parent in Sweden, you may not know but could have heard about it from work.

Jobba is the verb in Swedish 'to work', it's a common phrase that teachers at our daycare told our kids when they cried looking for us.. "Mamma måsta jobba". 

Vabba is a special Swedish verb for when you 'Take care of children'. It's short for "Vård av Barn" or VAB. Every parent in Sweden has taken VAB days. And when you tell your co-workers that you need to VAB today, they completely understand. The Swedish government pays you when you take a VAB day.

Vobba is a special term I heard recently that means you work from home while taking care of sick kids. During this time, you don't apply for a VAB day and therefore don't get any money from the government for taking care of sick kids.

Kids starting daycare or in daycare/preschool now will get sick a few times a month for the first year or so. It can be difficult for parents to adjust to having to take so many VAB days. 

After the Pandemic and an increase in other viruses this Fall, there are special restrictions about when a kid can return to the daycare once they are healthy. The current rule is if they have no sick symptoms for 1 day and no fever they can come back, otherwise you need to wait at least a week before they are allowed to come back.

Need some tips when kids get sick? Check out my past blog. Learning to practice patience while kids are sick can be a challenge but it's doable! Don't forget to take a break yourself. Self-care is so important when kids are sick and especially these days. 

Don't forget your snacks!

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