Career and Kids

Telling the kids about work

by mike on October 10th, 2006

At dinner every night, the kids ask me what I did at work that day. They are only three, but when I tell them the details about work, they get bored and ask mom what she did, but most adults do that with me, too.  I have learned over the last few months that this is how the script is supposed to go:

Kid - What did you do at work today?

Me - I typed, typed, typed.

Kid - And then what did you do?

Me - Then I talked on the phone for a while.

Kid - And then what did you do?

Me - Then I had lunch.

Kid - And then what did you do?

Me - Then I talked to my boss.

Kid - And then what did you do?

Me - Then I typed, typed, typed some more and drove home.

Kid - And then what did you do?

Me - Then I walked into the house and hugged you.

I’m thinking about trying this same exchange the next time I meet a friend I haven’t seen in a while. I wish I would have learned this secret conversation before my 11 year reunion (yeah, we were off a year. We’re eccentric). Everybody could have skimmed through their jobs and we could have got into the important things like the last time we saw so-and-so and who is married and divorced.

My job is boring to anybody that doesn’t do it. The challenges are only fun to me. All most people want to know when they ask me about my job is am I happy there and will I be staying there. And, I’m happy for my kids for teaching me that.

Here’s a question. As our careers have become more specialized, have we lost the ability to talk to people about our jobs that don’t work our jobs? I know that I can only begin to explain the basics of my job to anybody, even most people in IT. And when my wife talks about her job, I can just nod my head and hope to hang on to the important bits.

Share This

Related Stories

A big decision
Very telling and unhelpful all at once
Those crazy exhausting days of summer
Monday again
No time to go to the pool?

POSTED IN: Busy Parenting, Career