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Would You Bring Your Child to Work?
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Many of us have participated in Take Your Child To Work Day (formerly known as Take Your Daughter To Work Day). But what if you could--or had to--bring your child to work with you everyday? For more and more parents these days, that seemingly bizarre option is becoming a reality (and these folks don't work at daycare centers). Alternate work arrangements traditionally focus on balancing work and life responsibilities by allowing a parent to, say, work from home one day a week to handle childcare. In this instance, though, the balance is being achieved on the job, at the job, with the little ones in tow. Often, that occurs during what would normally be a maternity leave. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows for an employee to take off up to 12 weeks unpaid and retain their position or a similar one. Since these days it's nearly impossible to go three months without pay, a lot of new moms are opting out of traditional maternity leave and bringing baby with them to work.
The pros? The organization doesn't lose a valuable member of the team for three months, and the new mom gets to bond with her baby as well as enjoy a more convenient (less pumping!) breastfeeding schedule. The downside? Well, let's face it--kids can be even more demanding and noisy than coworkers, and they can distract you even when they're on their best behavior. I am sure there are some children who are the perfect type to bring to work. My son, for example, would not be one of those. I would spend more time trying to get him to stop climbing the office furniture than anything.
Still, with the economy continuing to tank and daycare being so very, very expensive, perhaps taking a child to work is a better financial decision. This is also not to mention that, as the primary care giver to the child, you know whether or not your kid ate his peas, took her nap, etc. Some of us feel like we only work in order to pay for daycare, so I can see this option as a viable alternative if the company is willing. My guess is that most, however, are not.
What is your experience with this? Outside of the occasional need to bring baby to the office because of a holiday or school closing, would your boss let you bring your child to work?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-04-2009 @ 1:32PM
landismom said...After my daughter (now 9) was three months old, I went back to work and took her to work with me 2 days a week. That arrangement lasted until she was probably a year old, then we dropped down to 1 day a week. We finally stopped when she was about 18 mos. Both of my kids have come to work with me on occasion since then, but not on a regular basis like that.
It was a great experience for me, I have to say. I had a boss that was very accommodating about it, and I had a private office, so when I breastfed (or pumped, on days she wasn't with me), it wasn't a big deal.
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1-04-2009 @ 9:30PM
queenoqueens said...Holy cow, I must be doing something wrong. I don't think I could ever complete any work with my child in the same room as me. My kids seem to require alot of attention. How did you do it without alot of interruption?
1-04-2009 @ 3:05PM
Jenni said...If you have the type of job in which you can do this I'm all for it! I think it's great. I know for me I wouldn't be able to do it everyday, but I would definitely be able to on Fridays since those days are dedicated to me being in my office working at the desk.
These are options my husband and I are looking into. With the FMLA options you can actually split the time up throughout the year so we would both be able to do one week on one week off. This would give us both bonding time.
There are so many options now a days. I do think that some jobs can be flexible enough to keep your infant at work. After all, they eat, sleep, poop, and play. You can easily set up a small play place for a non-mobile infant; and depending on the size of your office, for a mobile infant as well.
I think this is a much better idea!
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1-16-2009 @ 1:26PM
NTBoss said...I've read somewhere that there are companies that have a day care within the building. This is a great office perk and would hope more offices do so. From where I am from if you can't afford a Nana you'd have to rely on your mother or a relative in need of a job. It would have been nice to know your child is somewhere in the building and you can visit them on breaks and all...
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3-03-2009 @ 11:55PM
Joy said...I'm a single mom. I had been bringing my daughter to work with me since she was 11 months old, till 2/28/09 in which she is now 11 years old. I was working in a gym daycare as manager, made one mistake and apparently mistakes aren't allowed at this place. So, I got fired. Now I am unemployed, still homeschooling my daughter who is used to coming to work with me, helping me out and being an all around terrific child. Now I am affraid in order for me to find another job I may have to put her in public school or with a sitter where I have had horrific experiences in my life time so I am terrified of having to do this. I know how to do many things but no one will allow me to bring her and I am so distressed over this. I am begging for help if anyone knows of an office and/or managerial position that would allow me to bring her I would be so grateful. They would see what a great kid she is and would not regret it.
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