Good morning everyone let us take a collective sigh of relief that the weekend is officially upon us. I am certainly ready to call it a week to relax this weekend, but I suppose I’ll grab another cup of coffee so I can get through this Friday. While I’m enjoying my coffee, let me tell you what happened today. While nothing super outrageous, we did have some extra bodies around the office in honor of a special day.
What day is that, you might be asking? Well lay out some treats and watch your language, today is Take Your Daughter to Work Day! Now, you might be asking yourself where this day came from and why is it recognized? I’m sure plenty of people see it as a day where it allows parents to skip having a babysitter for the day because they can just bring them to their office. In all actuality, we can thank Gloria Steinem for creating this holiday back in 1992, first implemented in New York City. Womenshistory.org describes the goal of this day as “to help show girls that being smart was something to be proud of, not something to hide, and that their ideas could be heard and had value.” Shortly after this, Parade magazine then did an article on the success of the day and the idea spread through the country from there. In 2003, it was then rebranded to also include sons as part of the day although it was certainly not uncommon for many companies to allow all children from the start1. So if your company recognizes such a day to bring your children to work, remember that the intention is not to allow them a skip day from school or perhaps a lax day at work. It is meant to inspire your kids and get them to start thinking about their future. I don’t see this as they must decide what career they need to have right away, but I think it is great to show off many of the skills and tools we learn in school and how we utilize them in the real world.
So that is what this day represents on the national scale, what does it represent in our office? Pam was certainly excited to have all of the children come to the office today because she isn’t great with kids and is hoping this will help her connect to them. Her idea of initiating the point of contact? She pulled a page out of Hansel and Gretel and is luring them with candy to her desk. Michael, on the other hand, is less than enthused with all of these kids around because he is worried they are going to mess with the flow of the office. Specifically, he likes being able say whatever he wants without having to police his language.
We actually did have several kids come in today. Kevin brought in Abby, his fiancé’s daughter who I think he is trying to help bond a bit. Stanley brought in his daughter Melissa, who I think he is just trying to inspire to appreciate all he puts up with at work. Then Meredith was able to bring in her son Jake; evidently he got suspended from school so this was a win-win for her. And then Toby brought in his daughter Sasha; a sweet kid, she seemed very invested in Michael and his toys and she actually was able to get him more in the mood to appreciate the day. But their influence on the office did not stop there.
Melissa seemed incredibly interested in Ryan, and they were talking quite a bit. And as soon as Stanley noticed this, he let Ryan have it. I didn’t hear the entire “conversation” but I heard enough and never do I want to be on the receiving end of being yelled at by Stanley. I suspect Stanley did not say anything to Melissa because she continued to try to spend time with Ryan, but he definitely learned his lesson.
Then there was Meredith’s son, Jake, who certainly made himself known at the office. I’m sorry, but this kid is certainly a bit of a little punk with how rude he was towards Meredith, and especially towards Dwight. They kept butting heads all day long, and finally I think Dwight lost his cool and told him off. However, he was the only kid who finally got along with Pam because I saw them shredding stuff together and he seemed to be having fun. And then Abby was spending time with Jim helping him sell paper, so they seemed to have to bonded as well.
Overall, the day was going over pretty smoothly and without incident until Michael decided he wanted to show off to the kids. Evidently, he got to be on a Fundle Bundle, an old kids show, back when he was a kid and he thought they’d get a kick out of it. He had Ryan get the video tape to show everyone and things sort of spiraled when Michael had to face a blast from the past in realizing he never did get married or have any children. From there he grabbed some pizza and disappeared into his office for awhile.
In the end, Toby disappeared into Michael’s office to return a series of toys he had given Sasha, but they actually ended up talking for awhile. I’m not sure what he said but he actually was able to get Michael into a really good mood and come out of this slump of his. Never thought that Toby could have that effect on Michael but I suppose we shouldn’t complain, right? And in a grand finale to the day, Michael and Dwight give a rousing rendition of “Teach Your Children.” As far as how this day could’ve gone, I’m going to say this year’s Take Your Children to Work Day was a success!
Sorry I don’t have more to report for today but the work day was pretty straightforward with the focus being all on what is now know as Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. I know it is a mouthful, but the day is very important and I appreciate that it is still recognized. So my question to all of you is, what sort of events have you been part of with bringing your children to work? Feel free to share in the comments for those out there looking to start such a tradition at their own business. For those wondering, you can find more information at https://daughtersandsonstowork.org/ including the fact that this year’s day will be on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Until next time, I’ll be sure to see you around the breakroom.
- National Women’s History Museum (2019, April 25). Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Women’s History. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/take-our-daughters-and-sons-work-day#:~:text=Founded%20in%20New%20York%20City,be%20heard%20and%20had%20value. ↩︎
