RETURN TO WRITING STRATEGIES

"Take" Your Daughter to Work Day
By Terri Mrosko

For those of us freelance writers working at home, the annual "Take Your Daughters To Work" day sponsored by the Ms. Foundation takes on a new meaning. Perhaps we can think of it as "Keep Your Daughters at Home" day.

My two daughters are seven years apart, and I ingrained in them to aspire to be whatever they want. Naturally, I participated in "Take Your Daughters to Work" day ever since my oldest was 10. Eight years ago I was working for a major petroleum corporation that put on wonderful activity-filled programs on that day.

My youngest daughter participated in her first "daughter day" two years ago when she was nine years old. I was still working for the petroleum company, but at the international airport location. Her day included a lesson in the cockpit of a corporate aircraft and a trip up to the air traffic control tower.

Last year I was on a work assignment in Chicago during the entire week of April that "Take Your Daughters to Work" day falls on, and could not bring my daughter to work with me. She was extremely disappointed, knowing that would be the last time I worked at the airport because my job was being downsized due to a corporate merger.

This year "Take Your Daughters to Work" is on April 27. That just happens to fall during spring break at my younger daughter's school. My first thought was that she would once again be disappointed to not participate in the day since I had no place to take my daughter to work.

What was I thinking! I knew immediately once I gave it a second thought that this presents a wonderful opportunity to include my daughter in my "work-at-home" day, which is so much more than just sitting and writing at the computer.

We will start the day with breakfast together over the morning paper. I will explain to her why it is important I start my day off reading. Then, as I check my morning email, I will have her cut out my clips from a growing pile of community newspapers in which my articles appear. There's at least two months' worth of papers in that pile.

As I update my journal on the computer, I will get her started on creating a journal of her own on her computer (or in a notebook). We can discuss the significance of my need as a writer to keep up with my journal and write every day.

As an independently contracted journalist for a local paper, I often schedule interviews and meetings throughout my week to gather information for upcoming feature articles. I plan on conducting at least one such interview that day and bringing her along. She will see me use the tools of my trade-tape recorder, camera and steno pad.

We can then visit the newspaper's small office and I will introduce her to the editor and the staff writers. I am sure they will be happy to spend a few moments with her explaining their jobs.

If I have any photos I need to develop, we will drop them off at the one-hour photo shop and run other errands while the photos are being developed. There is always ink cartridges or typing paper or envelopes to buy. Then we'll stop at the post office for stamps.

Next stop will be the public library where I will show her how I study a magazine as a possible market for my articles. I will show her the stacks and stacks of old periodicals and have her help look up a particular piece of information I need from a publication. We may even browse through the books on writing and selling your work.

Back at home, we can spend some time on the Internet, and I will ask her to help me research a topic. We will check out some of the various writing Web sites I have book marked in my "favorites" list.

Keeping my daughter at home that day just may prove to be a productive adventure for us both. She gets to see the contrast from working in a corporate office to being an entrepreneur working from home. I get help with some long-avoided chores (that clip pile) and get to spend quality time with my child.

What better reason to take advantage of "Take Your Daughter to Work" day?

© Terri Mrosko. This article originally appeared in an April 2000 issue ofThe Writing Parent. If you are interested in reprint rights to this article or commissioning a feature article for your company newsletter or other publication, contact us.