Take Your Child to Work Day - 2012
Yesterday was “Take Your Child to Work” day.
My current employer has a minimum limit of seven years of age before a child can participate, and I had the wonderful opportunity of taking both our girls for the first time.
The idea behind the initiative is to not only give kids a glimpse into how their parents earn a living, but to demonstrate the importance of education as well as work-life balance.
Before we set out, my wife snapped the photo to the left of us all – dressed for a day at the office!
As a public relations director, I spend a lot of time in my office on the phone, handling email inquiries, writing and attending meetings.
I made sure to have each of those components on my calendar in measured doses to provide a basic understanding of my work to my girls.
Dry Eraser Masterpieces
In between those lessons (and trips to the cafeteria for snacks and soft-serve ice cream) the girls kept busy with some activities we planned of their own.
A good cleaning of the white board in my office provided a corporate canvas for their creative expression. Here they are to the right posing in the satisfying afterglow of their dry-eraser handiwork.
Origami Wildlife Preserve
Additionally, they spent a lot of time working on various origami animals. Between the two of them my office bookshelves and credenza have more wildlife than the National Zoo. You can see in the picture to the left that my desk resembles a wild life preserve rather than a place of business.
I’ve never once mentioned my employer on this blog, but I’m grateful to MedImmune senior leadership and human resources for offering this program.
For comparison purposes only, please see this picture from three years ago when our oldest attended her first “Take Your Child to Work” day. It’s clear that she had her priorities and goals in place for that day with her briefcase packed with Polly Pockets and a stuffed unicorn in hand.
Taylor's1st Day "On the Job" in 2009
It’s a wonderful chance to educate and inspire children, while a powerful reminder to parents why we daily leave our families to provide for them.
Question: Did you take part in take your kids to work day? If you work at home, is it a challenge finding that work life balance?
