[photo source: DAS Ohio]

April is national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. It gives children an opportunity to better understand the working world.

Although my son is too young to understand anything, I did bring him to work 3 days ago. Not because I knew it was time for 'take our daughters and sons to work day' but because I had no choice. My son's kindergarten was closed and my husband had an important meeting. I couldn't stay home with my son as I had 2 very important meetings with the Managing Director that day.

But, it did work out well. My boss gave me permission to bring my son to work with me. And I had prepared enough so my son was not bored even during the marathon meeting with my boss and my colleagues.

I guess, it's a lot like preparing to travel with a child. Just that it is a lot easier. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few tips (based on my experience) to help you cope with taking your child (in my case, a toddler) to work:

Ask for permission from the bosses. That way, everyone at work will not expect your undivided attention for long periods of time. Plus, it saves you from feeling even more uncomfortable.

Prepare an area where your child can be comfortable while you work. My original plan was to bring my child and my laptop to one of the meeting rooms so we do not disturb anyone. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. So, I had to prepare enough space for him right at my work area. It was a bit cramped but I did manage to fit in his books, toys and a view so he can observe the others.

Bring lots of quiet activities that your child can do. I brought books and drawing materials. When he got bored, I gave him rulers and let him write on my white board. Believe me, there are more than enough distractions that are available on your desk.

Be sensitive to both your child's needs and your colleagues' peace and quiet. I played a short whisper game with my son so he would whisper whatever he needed whenever I am talking to someone else.

I had a great time and so did my son. My officemates are still gushing about how behaved my son was, until now.