Do your children know what you do for a living?
What do you do for a living? Do your kids know what that means?
When I was growing up, I knew a lot about my dad’s job because he was very proud of his organization. My daughter is 12, and, just this week, two of her friends indicated that they had absolutely no idea where their fathers work, or, what they do for a living.
Yes, there are programs such as Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day, but, I’m just talking about basic knowledge about what their parent does all day and where.
If you work at home, or, not at home, even young children can understand that dad takes fancy pictures for people with his camera, and, has his own business downtown, and, it’s called Billy Bob Photography. Or, that mom is in charge at The First Eighty-Sixth Bank, and, grandma makes web pages for other people on her computer at home.
Not that it’s necessary to understand every job description out there, but, I think it’s important for kids to not only have an idea where the family income comes from, but also what careers are out there, and, what they really mean. What better way to be introduced to that concept than through your parents?
I work from home, my son joins in when he can. Whenever I’m making a video newsletter he helps me with the camera. I’m thinking of giving him a paycheck(which is totally legal for tax purposes).
My kids are too young really, but I do bring them to work with me on weekends or if I have to pick them up early. They know that my office has toys for them and a fish they can watch. That is about all that matters to them right now!
My son is 3 1/2. He knows what I do-I work at a dentist’s office as a dental assistant. He knows that I help people have nice teeth. I work at a restaurant as a waitress on the weekends (my husband is a sahf), and he knows that I go to the restaurant. He compares it to The Krusty Krab from Spongebob Squarepants. Every night, he asks me what I’m doing tomorrow: going to the dr or going to the restaurant.
I think it is great that he keeps up with me-he knows I have to go to work so that we can have our house and car, and more importantly his toys!
Good point, but we find that some jobs are harder to describe to a child than others. My daughter understands my part-time job better than Daddy’s full-time one. Not that his title helps: “Regional General Manager.”