Take Your Kids to Work Day

When you’re a working parent and your child has never even visited your office or place of work, it’s hard to communicate to them what exactly you do and why you are never home during the day. One of the best ways for your child to understand what you do all day is to actually let them visit you. Thus “Take Your Kids to Work Day” was born! In some areas of Canada, this is actually a program instituted in schools, but for office workers in particular around the world, Take Your Kids to Work Day can be any day.

Why It’s a Good Idea

Taking your kids to work can not only fill up a non-school day if you can’t find a babysitter, but can create fond memories for a child of a day at the office or workplace with their parent. It makes them feel special and stands out from the ordinary, boring school day. With proper rules, your coworkers won’t mind, and might even enjoy the break from the normal boring office routine as they drop by to say hi to your children.

Why It’s a Bad Idea

Many workplaces aren’t great places for children to spend time. If there are any safety concerns, it may be a particularly bad idea to bring young children who aren’t aware of the risks or are more likely to make a foolish, life-altering decision. Even if you work in an office, sometimes coworkers and supervisors don’t like having children around to distract them, particularly badly-behaved children.

How to Make it Successful

If you are still determined to bring your kids to work, be honest with yourself about whether your children are mature enough to spend the day in the office. If they can manage a day without distracting everyone, causing a ruckus, and making your boss frown upon you, it might be a good idea after all. The first step is to check with your supervisor whether it’s okay to have your kids there for a day. If they say so, find a place for your children to stay, whether it be a spare cubicle nearby or the back office of a service business. If the workplace is ready for your kids, make sure your kids are ready for the workplace. Talk to them and ensure they understand the rules about noise, safety, how to talk to your coworkers, and so on.

Your children might enjoy helping you out at the office. If you have any filing jobs, photocopying, or other little tasks to do, show them how to do it and they will feel important. An entire day of work will probably bore them, however, so bring along some activity books, toys, quiet games, or floor puzzles that they can do while you work.

Taking your kids to work doesn’t have to be an experiment in high drama and embarrassment. With some prior preparation, it can be a successful day that both you and your children fondly look back on.

Related posts:

1. Your Options for Flexible Work Weeks
2. When Maternity Leave is Over
3. Working From Home to Parent Too
4. Running a Family When Both Parents Work

摘自：http://www.kwika.org/parenting/take-your-kids-to-work-day.html