Bring Your Kid to Work Day

I was enjoying a Girls' Night Out some months ago, and we were all catching up by discussing our husband's jobs. After one of my friends finished explaining what her husband does, she pondered, "But what man likes his job anyway?" I said, "My husband loves his job!" I was met with some questioning looks.

It's true, though. He really does love his job. While he dislikes being away from his family, he does love to travel, so the traveling doesn't bother him. And when he's not traveling, he works upstairs, so he's right here with us. His job also affords him the flexibility to, if he has to be home to help with doctor's appointments or be involved in something with the kids, it's not a problem.

We are so thankful for Mark's job, and we totally get how blessed we are. However, his job does present us with a few concerns as we teach the kids. We've often wondered what, specifically, the kids' perception of a "job" is, a "real" job. I mean, they've never experienced life with a daddy who leaves before they've awoken and doesn't get home until they are in their PJs again. We talk about the variety of jobs and schedules that are out there on the workforce, but we wonder exactly what their expectations are for their future careers. It's a delicate balance teaching them respect for what Daddy does and at the same time teaching them that a job doesn't always entail airplanes, hotels, and hanging out around the house.

Recently, the boys have shown more and more interest in what their daddy does. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, one of them asked why Daddy had never had a "bring your kid to work day." What the kids don't realize is that, if Daddy's home, they are at work with Daddy. And all of those trips we take? I guess while we're at the museum or mall, they don't realize that Daddy is at work. Anyway, Mark wanted to allow the boys to participate in an Official Bring Your Kid to Work Day, so he arranged it with one of his customers.


When they got there, the company owner gave them a quick office/warehouse tour and even explained to them how air purifiers work. Then, lucky for them, they got to take part in a company barbecue.

The boys had a great time. In retrospect, though, and in looking at this picture, I suppose one thing we could teach the children about "real" jobs is proper attire and that flip flops are definitely not part of proper attire. Oh well, we'll get to that lesson next time.