when do you decide to stay home sick?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes:

I am typing this at my desk, on day like 3 of a cold and I reeeeaaaallllly wish I would have called in today, I am a huge slug. I’m an admin at a law firm and it definitely wouldn’t have been the best day for my boss, but the point is, someone could cover if needed.

Unfortunately, my parents raised me to go to school — and now it’s trickled over to work — unless I am dead or puking my guts out. A fever would not work, they’d just give me medicine to lower it. Luckily, my dad’s parents were retired and lived five minutes away and were able to pick me up from school as needed (I hope my parents recognized how much of a privilege that was, and when I am sick to this day I still wish I could go to my grandma’s…). As such, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve called out sick, last minute or not.

It’s not a good thing! I wish I were at home watching The Princess Diaries 2 (hi Anne Hathaway and the queen Julie Andrews) but alas….

So I wanted to ask your readers, what’s your barometer for calling in or going home early? (Obviously this is dependent on your role, and ideally I would like to hear from people who cannot work remotely, as my role is 100% in person five days a week.)

Readers?