Today was the day many children got the chance to miss a day of school and come see what their parents do the entire day. The hospital encourages bringing the children to work and actually has scheduled events for the kids .
Unfortunately this day was never around when my children were young. My granddaughter is too young to participate. I do always enjoy when the kids come into the office. We have great participation and this year was no exception. It is always fun to see the kids, how they have grown and meet the new children there for the first time. The kids in our office actually help out doing copying, stapling and interacting with the patients. I think many of the patients enjoy spending time with the kids and you can tell there is a connection. I enjoy talking to the children about their interests and even answering questions about what I do in the office.
The hospital program consists of a tour of the facility and they even have a craft session or mini workshop. Part of the day for most school districts have a written assignment for the day so this helps give the kids a topic for the paper.
I imagine some people see this day as an intrusion on their work day but our office actually enjoys the day. Sometimes seeing the kids energy level and excitement in participation is refreshing. It also is fun to see the kids reaction as they watch the parents work. The other benefit is the kids get to interact with a new set of kids outside their usual environment. One of the best conversations was watching 2 boys discovering they both had a common interests: Batman and Lego’s. They compared Lego collections as well as favorite Batman stories. One of the boys met the original Batman, Adam West and the other young man was so enthralled at hearing the entire meeting.
This day is not just “a day off school” at our office. The kids learn not only what adults do at work but also learn to interact with a new set of peers. In the past some lasting friendships have been formed. I am certainly glad to participate in this important day and certainly look forward to next year.
Blooming Burgh Boomer 
I used to love this! I was a mail carrier for a long time and she would come with me and sort the mail, then ride with me all day. We had some great talks on those days. It was sad to see all the parents who didn’t want to be involved in it.
Most of the people in the office were in good moods and I think enjoyed the day. It is sad to see the people who could not be bothered
I used to bring my nieces and nephews to work with me on this day. They would attend meetings with me, help with my filing [and my co-workers filing], have a special lunch, and they had special activities for the kids. However, kids now bring kids way too young [saw planty who were younger then 7]. It has turned into more of a day to keep kids out of day care for the day, which is sad. I think it’s great your office really puts time/effort into it and the kids, workers, and patients all benefit.
I think that varies and we don’t allow any children below school age and I don’t know the ones younger than 7 or 8 would get much out of it. Thanks for your comment.
Great post Kathy. I remember when I worked in Corporate America we supported bring your child to work day too. I always enjoyed that day. We had special activities for the children set up In all the different departments which became a bit of a competition between departments to see who could come up with the best activities for the children. The children voted on the best department activities at the end of the day and that department won lunch and a trophy! It was a lot of fun for everyone… 🙂
That sounds like both a fun and educational day. I can see each department taking a keen interest in preparing activities. Thanks for your support and comment.