This exactly. I still remember about 15 years ago with the flu, heading in to work. The wife had to drive me as I was so ill, sat shivering, did absolutely no work. None. My boss at the time was a monumental bellend and never accepted anything short of hospitalisation as a reason for being off. Just sat at my desk waiting to be picked up, and within a few days everyone else had it too.
Even then, my step-daughter (on another occasion) was hospitalised. She caught a bacterial infection and ended up in the kids ward. My wife stayed the night with her whilst I was at home with the wee man who was just a couple of months old at the time. Next morning the wife and I had a plan. I would drop the wee man off at nursery and then go to hospital and sit for the day while my wife got some sleep, then at tea time I would pick the wee man up and head home, whilst she took over hospital duties. Good plan with just one snag - the bellend boss. When I phoned him to say what was happening he told me I could either come in to wok or consider resigning. To this day I am ashamed of myself for going into work. I couldn't afford to lose my job and, being young and foolish, didn't even consider HR. The wife stayed at hospital all day.
He now runs a university in Australia and has written articles and received prizes for his commitment to....[drum roll]....work life balance!
I know, I know. Evil bosses thread for this pish. Sorry for the detour.