April 22nd was the national day when all the lucky children get a chance to follow their parents into the “office” and see what “fun” they are up to! However, every company is different so the day may vary.

Did you know that over 20 years ago, the first "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" was born? The people we have to thank worked at the Ms. Foundation for Women, a non-profit organization. The founders of this day were its president Marie C. Wilson, its founder Gloria Steinem, and its treasurer Daren Ball. 

Remember that this is not only a learning experience for both you and your child but it is also supposed to be “fun”.  The most important aspect of this experience is to find out what your child’s expectations are.  He/she has probably seen you get dressed in some type of work clothes and then head off to work.  Perhaps you are able to work from home on a computer and sit there for hours talking and typing. 

But what do you do? Have a conversation with your child and see what their perspective is!

Now that you have more insight into what your child is thinking, the next step is to identify the ground rules with your child before going to “work”.  There must be agreement on both sides.  For example:

1. Setting out your “work” clothes.
2. What time to get up and get ready.
3. The preparation of your child’s security badge.  Now, here is where you can have some serious fun and turn it into a collaborative effort. Design the badge so that it includes an actual picture of your child. There are several stores, for example, Walmart and Walgreens that have passport services.  Download their app and select “Passport”.  Using their app, take a picture of your child. Let the child make the final selection and then go to the store and pick it up. Use any graphic tool, select a design template and then create their “official badge” for work!
4. Time for Breakfast - Snack  and Lunch! Let your child plan your meals.  Need to shop for some groceries?
5. Remember to identify the meal parameters.  Each meal break is allotted a set amount of time to eat each portion. For example, perhaps allot 15 minutes for the Snack. Give 30 minutes for Breakfast, and 45 minutes for Lunch. Show your child their lunch tote and yours. Remind them that whatever they plan for the four meal breaks, the food needs to fit into a lunch tote something like this!  

If something spills or leaks, don’t press the Panic Button! it’s a T|W Tote and it can handle anything from ketchup squishes to ruptured juice containers. The inner lining is a high-grade synthetic polymer that not only repels liquid and messy messes but is also highly resistant to staining.

Now that some progress has been made regarding the preparations, let’s take a quick mental break. 

At the end of the “work” day, create a short General Activity/Evaluation sheet for your child to complete.  A sample follows:

As promised, here are the answers to our quiz:

• Mero
• 20
• Cassava, Guinep, Luminous, Mero, Sorrel and Tamarind,
• Cassava, Luminous and Sorrel
• Luminous

How did you do? 

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