Worklife: Share your work with kids
We’ve all heard of take your kids to work day. To be honest, the day never works for my schedule or my kids. For one thing they are ambivalent about new group activities, and it hits during my busy time so there’s that. But I do want them to understand what their working mom is up to all day. It matters to me that they see that effort and teamwork involved in my job. And that they get a sense of hard work as something they can tackle and enjoy one day. Generally speaking I try these things to include them in what I do while I’m working.
Share stories about work friends. I try to let them know the names of my dear coworkers and share stories about what they do and what their hobbies are. This sounds like a —well duh. But I realized I would come home and just focus on their friends and their day. They had no picture of what happened or who I spent my day with or who I was helping. If I would say, I helped Mary by listening to a problem she was having, then tried to think about ways she could resolve them, they related to it. Harry likes that I use games and LEGO’s as a way to teach people Agile.
Ask their advice. Adam Grant mentioned this in a podcast I was listening to about kids and resilience—and it was not to shield kids from life, but to present your own challenges and ask their advice. My kids are often curious about these things. And frankly I have no shortages of issues to resolve. People getting frustrated about change? My kids have ideas on that. Unclear direction or strategy? They also have had to overcome this. So it’s been fun presenting some typical real life examples and then ask their advice with sincerity. The conversations are always meaningful, helpful. and bonding.
Bring them in and give them a project. This one can be tricky depending on your office norms or schedule. But I personally love bringing my kids in. This past month my daughter tagged along to the office, and I put her to work making posters for personas we had created. They are on a huge wall with a story map for a major product we’re working on. She sat with me during a video conference with my boss and coworker. She was curious and a lot of fun to have. I asked her if I was different as a worker than I was as a mom, and she said she thought I was the same. This made me really happy! Being a working parent is often a game of juggling and focusing on putting the needs of your kids first. I am proud of the work I do, and I want them to understand my work life even a little. I hope they see that it’s not always easy, but with hard work and good relationships, your challenges at work and elsewhere can be overcome. And of course, I hope they feel and know that I’m proud of them and value their ideas. Happy end of summer and back to school everyone!
