Coach Dad is a stickler for a myriad of things. He likes things just so. To him there is his way or the high way. Take Your Daughter/Son/Child/Offspring is a major pet peeve for him. “Peeve” is not the right word. It’s a major annoyance.
As a 20-plus veteran of teaching, he has seen scores of high school students use Take_Your_Child_to_Work_Day as a vacation from school. A day to “tell” your teacher that you are going to work when in fact you spend the day texting or videogaming or sleeping. So, Coach Dad is not a fan at all. To him if school is in session students should be in school.
Our kids are 13, 10, and 6, and only one of the children has ever gone to work with Coach Dad for this day. My 13-year-old went for half a day when she was in 5th grade. Believe me he did not want to take her. He did not want her to miss a school day. We had a major contretemps over it. I prevailed….Crafty Daughter went to work.
Why you ask don’t the kids go to work with me? Well for one I’ve been at home since my oldest was a newborn — so no job to go to. When I was a WAHM my children were in preschool and half-day kindergarten — so the two were too young to know about the day. I was a SAHM for the last 5 years. Over the years my children have asked to stay home with me. One of my daughters wanted to spend the day doing laundry and cleaning. Yay! What a way to make Mommy feel like her work is fun and exciting. Woohoo!
My then-4th grader was miserable one Take Your Child Day as she told me that EVERYONE but her went to work with mom or dad. She later told me there were 4 of them in the class out of 25. I did feel sorry for her. The year she was in 5th grade I resolved to let her go to work with dad. With a little pressure and finagling it worked out. She loved going to dad’s office. He’s a teacher/administrator with an office not a classroom of students. She had a great day helping him out and raiding the supply closet.
You should have seen her show me her bounty — folders, highlighter pens, erasers, stickers. By far the office supply closet was the high point in her Take Your Daughter to Work Experience!
