美國有好多稀奇古怪的節日，我兩年前曾有一文《美國怪異離奇的節日/四月為例》特別介紹。上週四（4/23，星期四）是「帶小孩上班日」（Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day），是在每年四月的第四個星期四。「帶小孩上班日」的立意宗旨：讓自己的小孩或親戚瞭解何為上班、瞭解公司運作、探索未來職業，及感恩爸媽每日上班之辛勞。立意雖好，但小孩有大有小，極難控管，以致施行困難，難以達到原來的宗旨。

敝公司也曾有慶祝過，由人事部（HR）主辦，鼓勵員工於該日帶小孩來公司，但早已停辦多年了（"抗議"聲重，自然就不辦了）。雖說人事部不主辦，其實是放任由各部門主管自行決定，別"出事"（別被抱怨），大夥也都睜一隻眼閉一隻眼！

昨天我們的辦公室來了四女一男（四印度裔、一華裔），我還特地由家裡帶來十多件遊戲（brain teasers），供小孩們消磨時間（kill time）。Joseph義務來 表演魔術及帶活動，我帶他們玩遊戲、解難題及做運動（跳遠、金雞獨立）、陳菁準備剪紙等，小孩們從早玩到下午，每一刻都是開開心心的，皆說：真希望每天都能來上班！

如果上班真的都在玩、都這麼開心，我也真希望每天都能來上班！呵呵。

[次日某家長寫來的感謝信]：嗨，您們好，感謝您倆帶領吾女，與她精彩互動。她告訴我，她好高興哦，並希望今天再來公司。在晚飯桌上，她還在想，魔術師叔叔的硬幣是怎麼消失的！您倆勞苦功高，讓吾女高興了一整天！她已準備就緒，明年還要來，所以您倆也要有心理準備，她將要再來煩您倆，金叔叔和魔術師叔叔，呵呵！

[某家長寫來的感謝信]

[取自Wikipedia]

Take Our Daughters To Work Day was created in New York in the summer of 1992 by the Ms. Foundation for Women and its president, Marie C. Wilson, with support from foundation founder Gloria Steinem.[3] The first celebration took place on Thursday, April 22, 1993 and has since been celebrated on the 4th Thursday of April every year in order for the 37 million children, parents, schools in over 3.5 million workplaces across the country, in addition to participants in over 200 countries around the world, to plan ahead for the annual event.[4] The day has generally been scheduled on a day that is a school day for most children in the United States, and schools are provided with literature and encouraged to promote the program. Educators are provided with materials for incorporating career exploration into school curricula on the day before or after the event.

Employees, across the United States and around the world, typically invite their own children or relatives to join them at work, but the program particularly encourages employees to invite children from residential programs or shelters who may not be exposed to many adults in skilled professions today.