Where are your children?

Today marks the 15th annual Take Our Daughters -- and now Sons -- to Work Day.

Published April 24, 2008 9:00PM (EDT)

I am not doing a good job of keeping track of my holidays this week. First, I forgot that Tuesday was Earth Day. (Show of hands: Did anyone change his or her light bulbs?) And then second, I didn't realize that today was the formerly controversial but now kind of forgotten Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. (Note: This is not to be confused with Take Your Dog to Work Day. Totally different concept.)

The first daughter day was organized in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation for Women, and probably would have had a stronger impact on my life/memory if anyone I knew had actually gone to work with their parents. Instead I remember a debate erupting over whether the entire concept was sexist, with the end result being that we all just went to school. Partially as a result of people's opposition to boys' exclusion, the name was changed in 2003 to include sons, and the date was set for the fourth Thursday in April. Which, this year, is today. (Quick! Grab your children!)

So, now that it's 15 years on from the original TODTW Day, I want to know what people think: Was the original idea sexist? Should the day have been expanded to include boys as well? Do we even need such a day to begin with? Have any of you had particularly memorable experiences with your children (or parents) as a result? Feel free to comment, but please -- try to be civil. Your kids might be reading over your shoulder.


By Catherine Price

Catherine Price is an award-winning journalist and author of Vitamania: How Vitamins Revolutionized the Way We Think About Food. Her written and multimedia work has appeared in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, O: The Oprah Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Mother Jones, PARADE, Health Magazine, and Outside. Price lives in Philadelphia.

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