National Take Your Parents To Work Day

National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is recognized on the fourth Thursday in April each year. This year it is on the 27th.

It is an educational program in the United States and Canada where parents take their children to work with them for one day. It is the successor to Take Our Daughters to Work Day which, in 2003, was expanded to include boys. Most companies allowed both girls and boys to participate since the beginning, some renamed the day “Take Our Children to Work Day.”

The intent of the day is to educate kids about what their parents actually do in the workplace. So many children can't explain what their parents do as a career. "My mom works in an office" isn't really an answer. Many companies now have very formal programs on this day to give kids a fuller picture and educational but fun day at work.

It all sounds good. But what I am suggesting is that we older parents need a "National Take Your Parents To Work Day."  I know what my sons' job titles are, and I know what companies they work for, but I can't say that I have a very clear picture what really is their typical workday.

That is not unusual for parents who have sons and daughter in their twenties and thirties and may well have jobs that didn't even exist when we were job hunting.

Well, my idea is not very origina. When I did a search, I found that there already is a LinkedIn Bring In Your Parents Day. LinkedIn Bring In Your Parents Day. In 2016, more than 50 businesses opened their doors to more than 20,000 parents right round the world. November 4, 2016 was the 4th year of the event. They said that "one third of parents don't understand what their children do for work."

Back in February 2013, Google had their first “Take Your Parents To Work Day” in its Manhattan offices. They had 285 parents "who may not have known their Androids from their algorithms were able to get an inside look at the goings-on at the tech giant."