Take my kid to work-

This Thursday, millions of Americans are expected to participate in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day®, and I can't think of anything worse I could do to my son.

Don't get me wrong, I really like my job. But sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen isn't exactly the stuff childhood dreams are made of. Maybe if they renamed it Ryan Zimmerman Takes Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day-

My son does enjoy spending time with me on the days I telecommute. But if he's looking at my computer, it's because I've gone to the Nick Jr. Web site, and we're watching music videos from the Backyardigans. I can't imagine that would fill an eight-hour day, though.

If I could only convince my boss to incorporate banging pots and pans into my 10 o'clock meeting, we'd be on the right track. (Who knows, might even make for a more productive meeting.)

But when I think through my entire day at the office, the only part of it I'm sure my son would enjoy is when I raid the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. That's one concept of the workday he's already got a very firm grasp on.

I know I'm having some fun at the expense of TODSW Day (I refuse to write out the full name with the registered trademark every time), but the idea behind the day is a noble one. In our current culture of two-income households, it's an important lesson to teach children (and ourselves) that you can work and be there for your family at the same time. I just don't know if that's a lesson best learned in an office environment.

One thing that strikes me when I spend time with my son is how much he wants to be "big." He stares at the older kids at the park, but has no interest in anyone younger than him. He wants me to hold his hands so he can run back and forth across the living room, even though he can't take a single step on his own. And he has no interest in eating "puree du jour" if he can have a bite of whatever I'm eating instead (Please don't tell his mother.).

And watching him, I get the feeling that he's going to be "big" before I know it. And when that happens, there's no going back.

I don't want pictures of my son sitting in my desk chair, not now and probably not even 10 years from now (although in a decade, it could be a travel shot from India if he's visiting the person who has my job).

Another thing I notice when I spend that father-son bonding time is that the only time my son has my full attention is when he's screaming so loud I can't think of anything but how to calm him down.

I won't lie to you, or myself, and try to say any different. If he's happy playing, I'm probably thinking about work, or the ball game, or even what I'm going to write about next week. I don't think I'm the exception, and if this is what passes for work-family balance for many of us, it's more depressing than any 10 o'clock meeting.

One of the reasons people attend church regularly is that it gives them some time each week to block out the stresses of daily life. Even if they're not thinking about the sermon, the whole point is that they're not thinking about all that other stuff either. It's a peaceful, rejuvenating, and in some ways, selfish hour.

I think it's just as important to make that kind of devotional time for our children. I'm sure some will say they think about their children plenty, but I'm not talking about the stressful thinking that makes up so much of the job.

I'm talking about the kind of thinking that makes your children roll their eyes when you say it out loud.

Maybe we institute a national Hug Our Daughters and Sons Day. Or maybe we skip work on Thursday and celebrate Take Our Daughters and Sons to the Park, But Leave Our Cell Phones and Blackberrys at Home Day-

Besides, I thought we already celebrated TODSW this year in Culpeper- With all the snow and school closings, I think we called it ... February.

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