My company chooses to celebrate Bring Your Child to Work Day in the Summer, to avoid pulling innocent children out of school just to go and play on the PowerPoint at Mom/Dad’s office. Last week Friday, we held our annual event and this was the first year Geetle and Pookie were old enough to attend. I have worked at my company for 9 years, so they all know me, they all know my kids. I made a point of pulling the organizers aside and reminding them that Pookie had special needs, but they said “no problem.” I knew they would, but I still worried.
Usually, the kids spend the day in the conference room and then visit the floor a few times to sit with Mom or Dad. I decided that I would not work that day, so that I was available for whatever my kids needed me to do. I ended up sitting with Pookie the whole day. He loves school and does great there, but sitting in a conference room at “quasi-school” is not something he understands. So, I sat next to him and we did fine. During the time they kids were supposed to be designing their own company, Pookie drew a dozen Kermit the Frogs. During the time they were supposed to be typing their resumes on the computer, he typed “wiisports” and “dog.” But he was there. He made it.
Surprisingly, my biggest problem that day was from Geetle. Pookie and I needed to take a walk during a particularly boring (to Pookie at least) part. I told Geetle to stay and have fun. As soon as I hit the doorway, she melted down. It was 100% emotion. She ran to me and wimpered “I just want to see Pookie.” So, she went on our walk too.
So, what can I say about bringing your child with autism to Bring Your Child to Work Day? Well, I think you should bring him/her. I think you should plan ahead. Bring books, markers, quiet toys. Stay with them, if needed. Sit either in the back or near the door. Tell the organizers that you may need to leave early or take breaks. Explain in advance what “echolalia” means and that he really can’t just be quiet. Go, have the experience, and come home. Don’t fuss about how it goes. Everyone expects chaos on Bring Your Child to Work Day. Your co-workers should understand a little bit about your world. Mine do. They are respectful and compassionate. Some oversompensate, sure. But that is just them trying to be nice.
BAGD and I always try to make sure that Pookie gets exposed to EVERYTHING in life. We don’t hide him and we don’t let him hide himself. Once we know he has been exposed to something and really tried it, we will probably let him skip it next time. But at least he tried it once. For example, we always ask him whether he wants to go grocery shopping with Mom or stay home with Dad. He usually says “stay home” and we know that is an educated answer because sometimes we make him go and he has figured out that he does not like it.
Am I looking forward to next year’s event? Well…..not right now. It was a stressful day for me because taking Pookie to a new environment is a little like being a Secret Service agent. I have to know where the bathrooms are, when the breaks are, who is in charge, what the kids are supposed to be doing, what they are actually doing, what’s for lunch, how many supplies each kid is supposed to have, whether or not the marker Pookie is using on the whiteboard is actually erasable or not, etc. By next August I am sure I will be ready to do it again. But not today.
For those wondering what a boring insurance company does at Bring Your Child to Work Day, first the kids made their own resumes on Career Kids. Then they made up a company and answered questions about it (what they do, how many employees, what their building is made of, how many trucks they have, etc). Then the loss control guy gave a speech on safety equipment. The kids were given a raw egg and various packaging materials. They were to design a box for the egg that would allow it to withstand a 10 foot drop. Very popular game. Then we had pizza and watched a movie. Finally they decorated a frame to hold a picture they took with their parent. Its hard to make insurance fun for kids, but I think they all had a good time.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like a stressful day for you! It sounds like a fun experience for Geetle and Pookie though!
Its hard to make insurance fun for kids
Your insurance company just needs to get a talking gecko, license the characters from Peanuts, or hire a duck that just happens to have the same voice as Gilbert Gottfried.
Problem solved!
Good for you for taking Pookie to experience the day! Even though it was stressful for all of you, it’s one more thing your children can include in their life experiences - good or bad. And, maybe next year it won’t be so difficult for you (all) since you’ve experienced it once and know what to expect.
This is a great post. I’m stumbling it.