I have two sets of advice. First coments apply if you work for a large company with an HR department. Small business advise is last. (And how you behave for each is very different. To a large corporate owned company you are a number. To a small business, you are like a member of a small family.)Corporate advice:A. Any corporate boss who asks for proof of death, or proof of illlness, or any proof of reason for absence is overstepping boundaries. DONu2019T come clean to ANYONE who has that kind of mentality in the corporate world, youu2019ll be giving pearls to swine. Theyu2019ll ruin you. Hereu2019s what you do (and my mobile ap has no date on this question so if itu2019s oldu2026eh learn for next time.B. You are going to need to become an instant adult overnight. Youu2019re playing with the big boys now. You do something stupid, stop panickingu2026THINK!FIRST, look through the workplace policy manual to see what the actual protocol for PTO is. Check if she has the right to ask for proof of death, or to ask for reasons for absense. Check if itu2019s standard HR office protocol or if sheu2019s just being a u201cbossy boss.u201dIf it's NOT protocol, if she does NOT have the right to ask for proof of death, go talk to HR. Get clarification from HR about time off policies.If HR states no reason needs to be given for PTO, then tell them what happened: that 1. there was a death in the family, that 2. she asked for proof, that 3. you know now it is not office policy, but she asks it from those underneath her, that 4. you want her to stop asking for u201cnotes from mom.u201d 5. You want to take your days off per office policy, and you believe questions about your personal life are inappropriate, and this last caused you great stress, because you feel asking your aunt for a death certificate was bordering on harrassment, but you donu2019t want to lose your job.If it IS HR policy, then, because YOU failed to read your manual, you will either have to lie, come clean, or quit. I dont suggest coming clean. HOWEVER, I dont suggest this because I believe in lyingu2026I donu2019t! (And I hope you have learned that your one day off was surely not worth all this!) I donu2019t think you should come clean because, I BELIEVE ITu2019S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS, and ANY boss who asks for proof of ANYTHING has overstepped their boundaries as your boss.Your boss has NO RIGHT to know anything about your personal life. Not one damb thing! Bosses today have evolved into disturbing, controlling, parental figures that demand to know things theyu2019ve no right to know. Your boss has no right to know if your cousin actually died and no right to know if you're a liar. Your familyu2019s existence and your moral character are none of their business.The ONLY thing your boss needs to decide is:To what degree your absence affected the daily productivity.If you had any PTO/time off left to use.Whether to keep you, give you a warning, or fire you.Your BEHAVIOR is the only thing she need concern herself with. Your MINDSET and THE REASONS BEHIND YOUR BEHAVIOR is none of her affair, and nothing she has a right to discover.Her conversation with you should be nothing more than:u201cYour absence caused you to get behind on u2018abc.u2023 Iu2019ll need you to get it caught up by u2018xyzu2023 date.u201d ORu2026u201cYou had 28 days PTO starting the beginning of the year. Youu2019ve taken 10 of those already. You might want to ration them out or you wont have any left at the end of the year.u201d ORu2026u201cI hope youu2019re family is doing well. Welcome back.u201dRead your manual, there should be well defined rules governing days off. Most jobs give you so many days off per year, and you can take them, and no reason need be given. Most bosses dont want to know why their employees take days off, and her wanting a reason is very strange to me. If itu2019s a large business it reeks of discrimination, and sheu2019s singled you out for some reason, OR you are habitually absent and sheu2019s decided to play a mind game of cat and mouse. Either way, asking for proof is a strange request for most companies. Very strange. Iu2019d consider finding a different, less bizarre job.SMALL BUSINESS - with no HR department, or a mom and pop shop where the boss is the actual owner:Asking for u201ca note from mom,u201d unfortunately is common with owner/boss small businesses, because they do operate more like a small family. If this is the case, and you work for a mom and pop shop, then it actually might be best to come clean. Prostrate yourself before the boss/owner, beg forgiveness, and promise never to do it again.BOTTOM LINE: The best gift you could give YOURSELF is a good work ethic. Never take a day off unless you are taking an allowed vacation, you are actually sick, or there really IS a family emergency.