DISQUS

Ben · 2 years ago

I'll definitely do this when Caroline gets a little older, but I can't wait for her to ask the question, "Daddy, when did you decide to become an association executive?"

Chris Bailey · 2 years ago

That's great, Ben. Caroline will be ready in no time. Funny how our kids are growing up fast, huh?

Can't wait to hear how her understanding of your work evolves as she grows. Part of what we can teach our kids is that it's always possible to do work that matters. That's what's neat about the Take A Child To Work Day...they get to experience it first hand.

Heather Mundell · 2 years ago

My 3rd grade daughter complains that I "work all the time", which I'm trying to puzzle out because I work part-time from home and am often around after school! Everybody's got their own point of view. I wonder what she would think if I took her to work April 27 - to the office attached to my bedroom - to work by myself, be on the phone, and meet people for coffee or lunch. She might be bored off her rocker but it would be a good experience for me to explain what I'm doing in a way that would have relevance to a 9 year-old. It would be a fun challenge!

Chris Bailey · 2 years ago

Heather, that is a bit of a mystery about your daughter's perspective. Wondering...do you talk or think about work even after your work is finished? Or is it more defined by her own understanding of what work is? I'm curious so I hope you let us know what you discover. Perhaps letting her into your actual work world on April 27 is just the way to get that dialogue started.

Heather Mundell · 2 years ago

I had a conversation with my daughter about my work, and basically when I have clients before or after school instead of just during the school hours when she is gone, she tends to think I work all the time. Weeks when this is not happening, she doesn't think this. I think it's her catch-all complaint when she's not getting enough of my attention.

Since I haven't worked full-time at an office since she was born, she doesn't think of me as a "working mom" the way she thinks of some of her friends' mothers.

On the flip side, I think it would be interesting to create a "Take your parent to school day", for parents to see not a special "Parents Day" showcase of special projects, but a simple day-in-the-life of their kids in school. I spend an hour a week in my daughter's classroom helping out, and I must say it's been fascinating. Even elementary school kids are expected to really pack in the learning and stay focused and "on task". I know my 3rd grader has more to contend with than I did than when I was in 3rd grade in 1976! The homework alone puts her experience in a total other category. There is a lot for me to learn about and appreciate about her life by watching her class at school.

Chris Bailey · 2 years ago

Isn't that interesting, Heather. Kids do come to things with their own perspectives. I know my own second-grader often doesn't understand that my work schedule is very different from her school schedule.

We might often think that our kids need to catch up with our way of viewing the world, but I love your idea. Let's get a better grip on the way our kids experience the world. Take Your Parent to School Day would be a big step in that direction. Just a normal day to share the school experience together.

I share that same dis-ease of the pace at which our children are expected to learn. Is it any wonder our kids are stressed? But without appreciating the way they interact with the world, we can't begin to understand their fears, hopes, and dreams.

Thanks for bringing in something very new to the dialogue.