Okay, I have to vent here for a second, but first a disclaimer:
I like kids, I REALLY DO…in fact I like kids more than I like most adults.
Okay, now on to the bitching…What is up with you people who insist upon bringing your newborn child into the workplace??? Bring a snapshot or if you’re really, really determined fill out one of those damn “Stuff About My Baby” books or whatever. Yeah, yeah, I know you’re all proud that you brought a new little person into the world, but the work place is NOT a place for a baby. It’s disruptive AND it’s not exactly what the kid needs, get him/her some rest for god’s sake…just keep your kid at home!!!
(Now if you work at home, it’s a different story though )
I think the worst thing is when parents can’t get babysitteres on the weekends. I have from 2-5 kids under the age of 10 running around, crying and whining. All while I am trying to do my job. Dont’ come in then! retards!
As for the newborns. I think it is OK to bring them in once to show people. But only for a few minutes at the end of the day. While the parent is still on leave!
People spend 8+ hours a day at work and have a relationship with these people. One of the people in the company just brought into their life one of the most precious things that can happen in a parent’s life and you are going to bitch about it?
Hey, I don’t plan on having kids but I enjoy it when people at my client’s office bring in the kids – of all ages.
Oh and BTW, a kid can handle being around other people and new situations from a very early age. Stop this thinking that a child must be sheltered from birth to whatever age you feel. They are human not porceline (sp) dolls.
If you don’t like the newborn in your office then ignore it.
Oh brother, it’s hard enough to work without being expected to ignore something genuinely disruptive. Infants have no business being in a workplace unless they’re somehow connected to the job. What if someone brought their big slobbery dog to work? Or a shrieking bird? Or a perfectly quiet but obscenely smelly bag of garbage they have to take to the dump on the way home? You wouldn’t just tell someone to ignore it.
Yes, we have a woman at my client’s office that works out on the construction site as a superintendent. She also brings her dog there every day and when she’s in the office she bring Taffy in with her…so no I don’t find it a major distraction. In fact it breaks up the monotony of the day.
I don’t think that people should feel they have to hide their newborn. These are proud parents and no, I don’t think it’s overly disruptive. In fact, bringing in a kid no matter what age is not a big deal in my opinion.
My client’s office has kids in their office quite often to include my neice and nephew.
My guess it’s much better to work in a friendly environment like my client’s office rather some sterile corporate place where there is no personality and any semblance of your life outside of work is left at the time card machine.
Besides, in my experience there is usually less than 10 minutes of disruption before everyone gets back to work.
What if someone brought a big slobbery dog and its fifteen puppies? A bag of Australian whistling spiders and let them loose? A small remote control airplane that is carrying a smelly bag of garbage, and the garbage starts dripping down while the plane is flying through the office? The whole troop of Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, singing non-stop “We represent the lollipop guild?” A dead albatross on a stick? Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera driving around in a little Shriner car?
Let me state for the record that I personally would object to none of the above. I say, screw the man and have fun at the workplace! If you don’t like babies, run over and ask the proud parent ‘My God, what happened to it? Can the doctors fix him/her?’ Always good for a laugh.
We generally harass the new moms until the bring in the babies for us to coo over!
My boss brought in his 2 and 3 year old boys today, and they were wonderfully ‘disruptive’ - we smiled all morning from the mamory of the sweet smile on the little ones face.
He cried too - fell off a chair. You have never seen so many estrogen driven women all rise at once from their chairs like we did!
I have also brought my kids to work on occasion, for up to a half an hour at a time. They sit quietly, and are really good. They are WAY less disruptive than the loud chickat the desk over yonder, or the man who forgot his deodorant today, or me when I have clam chowder at my desk.
I think kids are a great diversion - provided they arent crying, or poopy!
It’s a perfectly good comparison. Have you smelled a kid’s diaper lately?
Seriously, though, there is NOTHING more distracting than a newborn, and all the ooohhing and aahhhing and visiting and stories, and all that stuff. Older kids are even worse.
I agree with Arnold completely. I also use the following - which was stolen from a comedian whose name I don’t remember -
Parent : “He loves the water, he’s going to be in the olympics”
Me : “Yeah, but he’s drooling, it could be the special olympics.”
I enjoy any reason I can get to slack off at work for 15 minutes.
Squawking, noisy, smelly things & the parents thrust them at you if you’re female, thinking you’ll want to hold them…yuck!
They tend to grab them back when you hold them stiff armed by the waist at arms length & for some reason, the parents always seem to look offended…hey, I’m here to work (& browse bulletin boards <g>), not baby sit your sprog!
When I leave this job, I’ll use Arnold’s line in my last week…so many evil things planned for then!
Kids in the workplace? WTF? It’s WORK_PLACE!! Hello! If you are not working you don’t belong there! Much less if you are obstructing other people from WORKing.
The mother is proud of her kid? yes, so what? I’m mighty proud of my dick and I don’t go around showing it to everybody unless they ask. And definitely not in the workplace.
As I said in this thread, children do not belong in adult social gatherings, much less in the workplace.
I have taken my kids with me to work quite a few times when I haven’t been working. They are extremely disruptive as the staff generally stop whatever they are doing to have some cuddling time with the baby or play time with our three year old.
If my wife comes by with the kids the staff will very often come to take a peek at the babies, it sure seems to perk everyone up.
When I tell my three year old that I am going to work now I am sure she remembers what Daddy’s work is like… a place full of nice people who adore kids.
Okay I admit a smelly diaper is gross, but come on do you think any new momma is going to bring her baby in smelling like a day old toilet to the office? I think not. If baby in question pooped on the way over, I am sure most would make a stop in the bathroom to change the stinky diaper in question. If baby poops during the visit then I am sure mom or dad would excuse themselves to change the poopy diaper. Most people I know have some manners to not offend.
In every encounter I have had with a new born and his/her parents in an office situation, the baby is well rested and clean.
The people coo and ah over the tike for several minutes till the novelty wears off then head back to work.
Seeing that little human in person is far better than simple pictures. I love kids (that aren’t of my own flesh and blood) so any opportunity to share the joy with another parent I revel in it. Also, a new baby is a new gift of life, no matter who’s child it is in my client’s office they are a welcome addition to the family. (yes they are a family oriented company).
So there. If you think a parent shouldn’t bring a newborn for a few minutes to meet the gang they work around then I think you are being overly sensitive. How often do you get to spend five minutes breaking up the day with little fingers and little toes? It’s not, in most offices, a common occurance anyway.
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