Alan Kercinik has been a Chicagoan his whole life and a dad since 2009. He finds it easy to relate to his two boys, since he still likes most things from his childhood. All opinions here are his own, to the relief of his wife, employer, family and majority of his friends.
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Thursday was Take Your Kid to Work Day. Our office planned a bunch of activities — art making, cookie decorating — so the wife brought the boy in for the afternoon.
For all the critics: Jack is thirteen months old and missed no school. Besides, the day was clearly more for me and the wife than for the kid. (I frosted a dinosaur cookie that my son, amateur critic in the making that he is, promptly smashed into the carpet outside my boss’s office.)
However, he did spend a little time as a junior marketer. He crawled into people’s offices without knocking. He banged on my keyboard, allowed because it’s way sturdier than our laptop, which he is determined to pry the keys off of. And he met his first celebrity spokesperson — a two-foot tall Batman “action figure” I keep in my office. (No. It is not a “doll.”))
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There was no Take Your Kid to Work Day when I was a kid. My dad was an electrician. Taking an eight-year-old boy to a construction site for a day was no easy or advisable way to spend father-son bonding time.
Still, I caught glimpses of his work life. He’d bring blueprints home to study. He’d come home with grime on his hands at the end of the day, grime only Lava soap could wash away.
He took me to a steel mill once. We had a few in my neighborhood, back when this country made steel. My dad told me that men could walk from their high school graduation to the mill and start work the same day. He didn’t do that, exactly, but he spent time there.
It was dark and loud and hot. We were nowhere near the blast furnace — I remember my Dad keeping a hand on my shoulder, even though I wasn’t going anywhere — and I could feel the heat of it on my face. He had to raise his voice for me to hear him.
It was like being in hell. I think that’s why he took me. Don’t do this, he was saying. But I think he was proud, too, that he was tough enough to take it. When I was older, I’d go to jobs and help him, his junior apprentice, pulling wire and holding ladders. I worked construction for two summers in college. I could have joined a trade, I guess. I just didn’t want to.
That doesn’t mean his path wasn’t worth taking. It just wasn’t what I was built to do.
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It’s tough, as a new parent, to take myself out of the equation. Do I think it would be great if Jack liked to write and read comic books and watch baseball? Sure. Have I bought him a Spider-Man t-shirt? Absolutely.
But that’s not my job. To turn him into a little me. Frankly, one of me is enough.
I think my job is to expose him to as much of the world as I can, watch him respond, see what he takes a shine to and support him in pursuing it, whatever it is.
Based on what he likes so far, he will either be a professional chair climber or a crawling yeller. Specialty fields, to be sure, but with growth potential. As long as he’s happy, I will be, too.
14 comments
Alice says:
April 25, 2010 at 5:22 pm (UTC -5 )
When Jack gets older will you let him play with your Batman doll?
Alan says:
April 25, 2010 at 3:02 pm (UTC -5 )
Of course, Alice. But only if he calls it an action figure.
geribiondich says:
April 25, 2010 at 6:36 pm (UTC -5 )
Well said, you've already figured out the hardest part! If you can continue to steer him in the right direction with loving encouragement and support, he'll grow up a well balanced little guy. He could do alot worse than to grow up to be just like his daddy!
Alan says:
April 25, 2010 at 3:04 pm (UTC -5 )
Thanks, Aunt G. I know you’re lovingly biased, but appreciate the support. And look forward to screwing the boy up in completely new and different ways.
The JackB says:
April 25, 2010 at 6:58 pm (UTC -5 )
A quick FYI- this post is included in the latest edition of the Festival of The Fathers.
Alan says:
April 25, 2010 at 3:03 pm (UTC -5 )
Thank you, Jack. And thanks for the link list; great group of perspectives I’m looking forward to reading more of.
Alan Kercinik says:
April 25, 2010 at 8:51 pm (UTC -5 )
Of course. As long as he calls it what it really is … an action figure.
Alan Kercinik says:
April 25, 2010 at 8:51 pm (UTC -5 )
While I know you're lovingly biased, I appreciate the support. And I look forward to screwing him up in new and interesting ways,
Alan Kercinik says:
April 25, 2010 at 8:52 pm (UTC -5 )
Thanks for the inclusion, Jack. And the list of other dad bloggers. Great set of viewpoints and I'm looking forward to reading more.
lisahanneman says:
April 25, 2010 at 11:38 pm (UTC -5 )
This is a really, really great post. Sharing with the dad in my household.
Alan Kercinik says:
April 26, 2010 at 12:09 am (UTC -5 )
Thanks, Lisa. Knowing the dad in your household, I imagine he has a similar point of view.
The JackB says:
April 26, 2010 at 5:17 pm (UTC -5 )
We're glad to have you.
angelatenclay says:
April 29, 2010 at 1:59 am (UTC -5 )
Jack could not get any cuter! Hope he had fun at Weber!
Ali Montag says:
April 28, 2011 at 11:56 am (UTC -5 )
Needless to say, there is NOT a Take Your Kids to Work Day on the Assembly Line. Rather, we put together a “Take Your Work Home Day” booklet for parents to bring home to their families.