In my office, it is fine. In yours it may not be. As long as the policy is clear and evenly enforced, it is fine. If your office doesn’t have a policy on it, it should create one. |
NP.
Good grief, PP. it’s lunch in an office with mom for an hour. Are you this judgmental about people who shop online for lunch, meet their husband for lunch, or sneak away for an afternoon quickie at home before returning to work? It’s not like the 3yo is going to brief power points to the team. |
No because those activities don’t interrupt my work. When coworkers bring their kids around to say hi, it’s disruptive. |
NP. The times my kids have come to visit me at work, I don't bring them around to say hi. They come up the elevator and go a back way to my office so they don't even see the receptionist. Then they hang out in my office, if needed. Generally I just meet them at a restaurant nearby if I'm going to see them during the day (or they get their hair cut at the place in my building). But I'd say they've been in my office half a dozen times and I could name one, maybe two people other than me who have ever seen them. I think the point of PPs' previous posts was for the daughter to be able to see her mom during the work day sometimes, not to walk around and say hi to everyone in the office. |
If possible, bring her to your office on a weekend (or when noone is there) so they can see how "cool" it is. Bring her "presents" from work---even if it's a post it pad. You want your DD to think work is amazing and you as a mom get to do this amazing thing so one day she can too! |
Nope. I'm the boss. The kids are welcomed. |
snap! |
Thats even worse. Now your employees are obligated to take time out of their workday to entertain and talk to your kids. Which means they are now stuck working longer and will be able to spend less time with their own kids. Your children are a distraction and you are completely inappropriate to subject your employees to their office visits. All you are doing is taking advantage of your authority. |
You’re projecting wildly, and none of what you say applies. But this is a great illustration of why we have the work-life problem we do in this country—you have totally internalized the arguments made by people who prefer it that way. |
NP. OMG where did she say she was having her employees watch her kids?!?! You sound crazy. |
I didn't say her employees have to watch her kids, can't you read? I said they have to take time out of their day to talk to and entertain them. My colleague just brought her two year old in - it was really annoying and disruptive. She took the kid around to say hi to everyone, which we could all hear in our open environment, and then when the kid got to me, I had to attempt to be interested in her. I was very busy and it was an annoying and disruptive distraction. I actually keep stickers for kids in my office so that I can say "here's your sticker" so I don't have to engage in precious conversation about how cute the kid is, etc. And this has zero to do with work-life balance. Bring your kid in once to get the visual and meet the coworkers - that's great! Bring them on a weekend - smart. Not once a month - just meet your child at lunch, don't parade them around the office. And this goes double for the boss. |
It has plenty to do with work-life balance, as this thread demonstrates. If the kids have a visual of Mom's work, what she does there and why it's important and how it is a positive thing for them, they do less (sometimes none) of this heartbreaking wheedling on the back end.
And that makes it easier to go to work with a clear mental slate...which is much more productive than the other way. |
I don't think it has anything to do with worklife balance. I'm a working mom and my toddler says things like "don't work! daddy can work, you stay here!"
And my friend is a SAHP and her toddler loses his shit when she tries to go out for a girls night No matter what they're both sad when you leave and totally fine with you're gone (assuming you have good care into place) and changing your work life balance won't change this particular aspect |
"DS has asked at various times why we work and we tell him it pays for the house, clothes, and food. At 6 I started including the concept of saving for retirement and college because he had started saving for a big toy."
Be prepared for when he comes back with "Larla's mom doesn't work and they have a house, clothes, and food." They will notice. |
^That's an excellent idea! |