Monday, April 27, 2009

Put Your Child To Work Day

So we just had that Take Your Child to Work Day annual event this past Thursday. It's the one that started as Take Your Daughter to Work Day, the goal of which was to to "encourage employees...to invite a pre-pubescent-aged girl to spend the day with the employee at his or her workplace, with the aim of exposing girls to various career opportunities"(Wikipedia.org). Women have historically been limited in occupational opportunities, so this event was organized to improve self-esteem and encourage girls to pursue careers they might not have been aware of as options. Apparently, people got all up in arms about the fact that something that was designed to exclusively encourage young females (who are clearly in need of it), did not also include young males. God forbid we make little girls feel special in any way.

Is it just me, or does it now feel like the initial reason for and spirit of this annual event has been lost? When I worked at the hospital, I remember people bringing their kids to work along with toys, coloring books, and other "pass the time" items. They'd situate them at an empty desk and there they'd sit for the whole of the day playing with their stupid toys and making me uncomfortable with their creepy stares. And I thought, "Well, isn't the point of this exercise to inform children about the type of work you do? Shouldn't they be somehow involved your workday, in all its excitement and tedium?" I knew the day had lost all meaning when people I worked with started bringing their infants into work with them on that day. It irritated the shit out of me to have to hear a baby wailing while I slaved away at a job I hated so much to begin with. But I guess kids are never too young for us to begin exposing them to the grim realities of a lifetime of hard work. In fact, I propose a new annual event. Better yet, make it a daily one. Put Your Child To Work Day.

Child Labor Laws be damned. After all the crumbs I've vacuumed, toilets I've scrubbed, ass I've wiped, she fucking owes me.






















Earning her keep.










Put a little muscle into it there, Toots.






I don't do windows. But she does.

And then she has the nerve to say, "Mom, when are you going to help me clean?"

16 comments:

  1. Jesus fucking Christ, I love your puppy.

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  2. She is such a gorgeous child, really.

    Funnily enough, my daughter LOVES to clean. Sometimes after dinner she will literally beg my wife for a damp cloth, and then will run around the house wiping down everything: cupboards, baseboards, walls, tables... it's hilarious. And all we can think is, "When she's 12, we're going to have to force her to clean her room."

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  3. THIS is too great! Send her our way, she can clean horse poop and get those hard-to-reach windows done on the top floor of the house. I think she would be easier to dangle from one of those window washing scaffolds than Hellbilly anyway! tee hee hee

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  4. Oh, and hey, check this OUT! I am SO getting to your blog without difficulty and reading and posting a comment and I don't know why because I am so computer challenged that it's not even sad or funny or anything.

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  5. Every day should be "Put Your Child to Work" day.

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  6. At that age, all they need for payment is a peanut butter sandwich.

    Precious . . .

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  7. That's it. I'm handing my child some windex.

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  8. How much does she charge?

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  9. Rassles - Funny, because she loves playing "puppy". I have her "fetch" all kinds of shit for mommy.

    Sci Fi Dad - Thanks! Your daughter is beautiful, too. Liv loves to clean, as well. Which is why I "put her to work" yesterday. She was begging for some paper towels and "spray". My husband and I laugh about the fact that she'll probably hate doing chores in a few years.

    Mongolian Girl - Yay! You're back. I've missed your commentary, I really have. I'm not technologically inclined either. I'm the worst in fact. I couldn't even shrink my header, Pos did it for me. Liv would probably love to see your horses and shovel manure. As for being easier to dangle, I don't know. She's a sturdy child, all muscle. I can't even believe how heavy she is sometimes!

    Pos - It is at my house :) A little hard work and sweat never hurt anybody.

    Ty's Daddy - Yeah, but Liv isn't above asking for toys and movies. But it's usually what she asks for in exchange for being "a good girl". As in, "Well, mommy, I obeyed you so where's my freaking reward?". I don't think my little one is quite as precious as your little ones :)

    Magpie - Do it. You won't regret it.

    Here in Franklin - Ha! Her fee is quite steep actually: Food, clothing, shelter, mommy's tears of frustration, sleepless nights...need I go on?

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  10. Kyla did this once. Only she used spray sunblock, and I wasn't happy and I didn't take pictures. Probably should have though to add to my "and you thought your day was bad" album.

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  11. The only time I don't like "Put Your Child To Work" day is when it turns into, "Hey, As Long As I'm At It, I May As Well Get That Lazy Assed Slug In Front of The Big Screen TV A-workin' Too" day. That day, I don't like so much.

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  12. My daughter enjoys cleaning, as long as she is not made "to feel like Cinderella before the ball." She is as messy as her father, sadly, and I fear that our home is to forever be more than a touch disheveled.

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  13. Ohhh...she's adorable.

    And also useful!

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  14. Oh, I LOVED helping my mom clean when I was little. Then she started asking, rather than letting me volunteer, and that ruined it.

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