[STICKIED] Community Question Post #35 - WILL U BE MY MOMMY

[theidolhands]

Each week we post a new question for the members of the community to answer! As usual, if you have a question you'd like to see answered by the community, leave it in a comment on this post.

theidolhands asks: Any interesting stories involving children at your workplace?
*Your own or your co-worker'sIs your place of business kid-friendly? Do others take

Comments

[kharmii]

Post office isn't a child friendly environment, but it's customary for people to bring new babies in to show every body. When I was off for a year, I'd bring my kids in once every three months, to fill out a new leave slip and to socialize. It was also an 'In your face, jerks' to the people who thought I couldn't have kids.

A few times, school kids on field trip came in to watch us work. The supervisors would bring them by me because I'm good pr. I like my job and have an upbeat attitude.

[theidolhands]

I approve of this comment!

I recall enjoying stamps a lot when I was a kid, don't suppose yours have gotten interested at all?

I also enjoyed having a lot of pen pals.

[kharmii]

LOL, no, I haven't even showed them stamps yet. They love stickers, and the last thing I want to happen is to suddenly hear them going 'STICKIES! STICKIES' because they found my hidden roll of stamps and started sticking them everywhere. :-D

[theidolhands]

TRUE DAT

[wyntir_knight]

I work for a government office so it isn't particularly kid friendly. The few times kids are brought by, they have to stay in their parent's cubicle because a) folks are working, and b) the little ones don't have the security clearance to actually be on our floor. Usually the kids are pretty good though, especially when you let them draw on the white boards.

Of course, on Bring Your Kid To Work Day and just before Christmas, the place is swarming with little ones (we usually book a board room and let them watch tv or their parents will bring them to the koi pond to keep them entertained). And new mothers will often bring their babies to the office to show them off.

As for the second part of the question, I have no kids, so I've never had any issues with rude or unkind people, though I have heard some horror stories about employees who are very against children in their personal space (including one employee who allegedly threatened to kick a child a few years back).

[theidolhands]

Of course, on Bring Your Kid To Work Day and just before Christmas, the place is swarming with little ones (we usually book a board room and let them watch tv or their parents will bring them to the koi pond to keep them entertained).

That's a great idea!

so I've never had any issues with rude or unkind people, though I have heard some horror stories about employees who are very against children in their personal space.

It's cool that you're sensitive to that despite not having kids of your own. When I was younger, my sibling and I were treated like dirt due to racial discrimination and we were so confused (as was my Mom) -- if she had known how uninvited we would feel at a "family" event then we wouldn't have come. Still, it was educational and we did not bother with them again.

[wyntir_knight]

I'm one of the odd child-free people who actually loves kids. I just love being able to return them more. It becomes harder to do that when their you're own little monsters :)

When I was younger, my sibling and I were treated like dirt due to racial discrimination ...

I will never understand that. I will never understand putting your discrimination and hate onto a child who's done nothing too you. It's bad enough when it's aimed at an adult, it's inexcusable when it's aimed at a child. The only people I ever get pissy at are the parents for using the "Flander's Parents'" style of parenting ("You gotta help us, doc! We've tried nothing and it just ain't working!")

[firebomber]

I love it when people bring by their children to work. In food service, you can't take your kids to work, so it's nice to finally meet the children my co-workers talk about.

I work in a business district now, so the only children we see are with tourists, and they're usually remarkably well-behaved. One mother gave her small child a box of tea off our shelf to play with when they started getting cranky and it was adorable. She noticed I was watching them and told me, "Don't worry! She won't take it and I'll pay for it if she opens it!" I told her it was all right and proceeded to jokingly offer the child a job as brand ambassador.

[theidolhands]

Adorable comment is adorbs; thank you for that smile!

[vikaia]

My current workplace is never graced by children, but that's because I don't have any. I work from home these days, but when I was working in food service and even in retail, children always made me smile. I once had a little boy tell me I was pretty and then proceeded to tell me to make sure my boyfriend was always nice to me. That lit me up for the whole day, which was nice because I was having a horrible day.

Alternately, when I worked in a card/gift store in the local mall, I would have parents leave their children in the store and expect me to watch them, generally without telling me. If they came back and found they'd broken something, they would give me hell for letting them play with breakables.

cracks me up every time

[theidolhands]

Re: cracks me up every time

[vikaia]

I love that.

[mikadosok]

The ladies who work the front desk often bring their kids in on a saturday. Not always the most helpful. In fact, one lady, no longer working there, had her daughter 'helping' me...I sent her back to Mom. My own daughter was volunteering with me, but then, she was mid twenties, and able to follow directions. In fact, she actually took over my job while I was out sick for an operation.
We do have a LOT of kids coming in at all times, well...puppies and kittens.
My main concern with co workers kids is that they stay OUT of my ISO, unless I'm there with them, or the parent is.

[theidolhands]

Fair critique is fair!