Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work

April 24th marks the annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work day. I participated in this exciting day once, as high school student. I did not go with my own parents, but rather my friend’s mom took the both of us. We missed a day of school, which was the highlight of the experience as a teenager. But, thinking back, it was more than that.

I got to experience Washington D.C. from the working person’s shoes. Really, they do wear different shoes. You will often see D.C. business women dressed in a suit with nice white Reeboks, Nikes, or Adidas. (I suppose they changed their shoes once they get into the office, but when I was officially IN that role, I kept the sneakers on sometimes.) I rode in a commuter van at 6 in the morning. There were about 8-10 people. Apparently, they switch drivers every week. We squeezed into the back and I followed suit and took a nap.

I rode the metro for the first time. It was a bit anxiety-provoking because I had never been on public transportation and had never been anything other than a smiling, strolling, tourist. This time, we were hustling and had our game faces on. Everything was quick-moving, including our footsteps.

I don’t remember anything we did in the office. Perhaps we just played around.

Lunch time was fun. We got to go back out on the streets, this time, unsupervised (her mom did meet up with us later). We walked up and down. People were everywhere; it reminded me of the state fair. I remember the trash men passing by on their truck and shouting out to us (yes, we were/ARE fine!). The thrill of the city brought us a rush that I can feel as I tell this story right now.

At the end of the day, we returned to the commuter lot, got in my friend’s mom’s car, and she took me home. I shared the experience with my other friends and they were certainly jealous.

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Now, I’m wondering, “Was I supposed to keep my children home today since I am a domestic engineer?“