Why Children Shouldn't be allowed in the office...

I agree with you, although since it's the boss I wouldn't imagine there's anything you can do. Although, I would let him know he owes you for cleaning your pants.

I had a couple of times in my old job where because of timing and rides and whatnot that I had to take a kid with me to work. But the kid at the time was a teenager and I put his sorry little butt to work. I had him do some filing, helping another co-worker do her filing, etc.

It was generally agreed upon that he was very helpful. However, he was a big kid who was able to sit quietly and do a job. If not, then I would have taken the time off and made sure that he was no where near a professional office.

That's terrible! If kids are in the office they should be acting accordingly.

I will bring DS in when I have to work on a weekend. Doesn't happen often, maybe once/twice a year. He LOVES it. He has is "own" desk, which is an empty desk by the window. He brings his stuff to color, some toys, his ipod and headphones. He loves going to the fridge and getting his own apple juice (in a can! Which he finds fascinating). He gets Cheese Its out of the vending machine. Last time he was so quiet, I forgot he was with me and almost left him!

I agree 100 percent!!! Unfortunately I am a teacher so that is probably not going to fly at my place of employment.

Some parents are clueless to how their kids act and that they are not wanted everywhere!

So true. And some people's sense of entitlement knows no bounds.  

Over the years, I have seen many bosses bring their kids to work and expect their secretaries to entertain the kids.  Of course the secretary always says "I don't mind." I always wonder if the secretary would really like to say "You watch your own kids, I've got work to do and that is why my own kids are in daycare."

 

  

I would occasionally go to my father's office after appointments for a couple hours until he was ready to drive me home. However, I was expected to sit at the work table in his office or on the couch and entertain myself quietly by doing homework or reading. At no time was I allowed to wander or talk to anyone else. Severe reprimands would happen if I interrupted anyone's work day. The only time I was allowed to leave his office was to go to the washroom (straight there and straight back, no stops) or to go get a snack from the store downstairs (again straight there and straight back).

I do not approve of people bringing their children to work, but if they do, they damn well better "be seen and not heard" or just competely invisible.

Yeah, with a co-worker it's bad enough, but your boss?



I love kids and have two of my own, but was really frustrated with a colleague who brought her two toddler-aged children into the office pretty much every Thursday after noon. Sure, it's only a half day each week, but how much actual work can you really do with a 2 and 3 year old running around? 

As with all things, common sense needs to be employed, and this isn't black and white in most office environments. I am the manager in my work area, and DD comes in on a very rare occasion. For instance, she got out of day camp at 4:00 for 2 weeks this summer. There were a few days when I still had work that I needed to be in the office to do, so I picked her up and she came to the office until I was done. It was a case of "do what it takes to get the job done."

That said, she knows how to behave. The door to my office is cracked (I don't want to close to because that says I am not available or not here), and she mostly just draws on my whiteboard. If she listens to something, she wears headphones. If she needs wireless Internet, I will let her sit in an unused cubicle (the Wifi doesn't quite reach my office). I would guess that only the employees who saw her walk in even knew she was here.

ETA: When DD was too little to behave, I only brought her in the office once.  She was sick, and I needed to grab my computer.

I just brought my daughter to work with me this morning! She is 13 and sat quietly in my office until her volunteer shift started but she did get bored. I realized she was watching me work and asking me non-stop questions about what I was doing. I was mindlessly answering them when I realized she was supposed to be sitting quietly with her iPod. If a 13 year old for an hour and a half can be that distracting, I can't imagine what two little ones all day would be like. How did he get any work done?!?

I used to work with a woman who would bring her son to work and put him in an empty office next to mine where he proceeded to loudly play video games, listen to music without head phones, run back and forth to the break room and in general make as much noise as possible. I asked his mom one day why she didn't keep him in her office. Her response "he makes too much noise for me to get any work done." I told her that I knew the feeling. After that the manager made her keep him in her office. After a few times of that he stopped coming to the office.

   So very true.