Take Your Child to Work Day

Whether it's an official day being promoted on a calendar or by unexpected necessity, we professional parents may experience the need to bring a child to the office at some point during our careers. I admit I am among the lucky ones whose job circumstances are flexible enough to allow this (don't even consider showing up with a child, unless you have your supervisor's OK), and I understand that several people in a child care crunch would just have to call off.  However, in cases like mine, I now have some advice to impart, after needing to bring my kids with me to the office during one week in August.

Bear in mind, however, that my children are six and eight years old...had they been under five, I'd have called off. Furthermore, I need to admit that having more than one child with me proved to be unbearable, while either child alone (which also happened sometimes that week) was perfectly manageable.
 

Ground Rules.

To avoid pandemonium, have some ground rules so that your child knows what the boundaries are even before he gets there. My boundaries included, "stay in this room, be quiet when I'm on the telephone, and don't touch any equipment." "Use your inside voice" is the reminder you're likely to issue the most often.

Being at work with you will be exciting to your child. For about five minutes. After that, you can expect questions every five minutes such as "what's this thing do?" "what does that say?" "can I play on your computer?" "when's lunchtime?" Give your child five pennies. Tell the child that every time she interrupts you, she has to give you a penny...so that if she interrupts you it had better be VERY important, because when she is out of pennies, she isn't allowed to interrupt you anymore. (The exception to this, of course, is expressing the need to visit the bathroom.)

Usually among your office supplies, you'll have stickers of some sort (like those little circles used for color-coding files). Tell the child he will earn another sticker for every hour of good behavior, with the opportunity to trade in eight stickers for a trip to the movies, or some other reward. Explain to the child that you come to work, to do what you're supposed to do, and get paid, and if the child also does what she is supposed to do, she will get "paid," too.

Showing Off

Don't keep your kids a secret. Introduce her to your co-workers and your boss, and refer to her as "your helper today." This not only makes the child proud, and shows the child where, how and with whom you spend
your days, but is also a way of showing your co-workers that this is a very temporary thing, having a kid at the office with you…You will need to re-schedule any important meetings you can't bring your child to ("something came up"). If you are in sales and visit clients, it will be harder for a customer to turn you down in front of your child! (If you do get turned down, however, it will be an important lesson for your child to see that sometimes you face disappointment, but keep right on going.)

Designate an area as "the child's desk," even if it's just some space on the floor. Showing your child how you stay at your desk will help the child stay at hers...she will be amused and proud that she has a "desk," just like you, and when explained this way, chances are she'll be more inclined to sit still in one place and not wander off to bother others.  Chances are, you'll have at least one person at work whose children are grown or doesn't have any of her own, who wants your helper to hang out with her for an hour or so. If this helper offers treats, let her distribute them. The kids will like it and your co-worker will feel needed and special.
 

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-Heidi McDonald