“Take Your Daughter to Work Day” is under criticism because of attendance concerns, according to an article in the Star Tribune. Under the new No Child Left Behind Act, federal education standards call for stricter attendance policies, and some schools are refusing to excuse absences for the children who visit their parents’ workplace for the day.

The benefits of Take Your Daughter (or son) to Work Day, however, far outweigh any negatives. Missing one day a year from school is not going to derail any child’s academic career. Children often are excused from school for far sillier and non-educational reasons, such as going hunting.

The chance to see how the working world functions is valuable for children; not only do they get a sense of what the world beyond home and the classroom is like, but they get to see what their parents do all day. This could lead to increased parent-child bonding if the child understands what his or her parent means when they make the remark, “I had a hard day at work today!”

The day’s original intent, to support pre-adolescent girls with their self-esteem and ambitions, is still important, and now includes boys as well as girls.

Schools often have Career Day, where members of certain professions go into the school and tell students about their jobs. Often, however, these professions are common, cliche jobs, such as a policeman, fireman and doctor. While these jobs are important, they do not encompass a wide range of the job opportunities.

Often, too, the speakers emphasize only the good, exciting parts of their jobs. Pointing out the good is a fine thing, but when a student goes to work with a parent, they have a better understanding of what it is to work – to have the monotonous aspect along with the good.

Allowing children to accompany their parents to work could also give them a better idea and more focus on what they want to do for a career, years down the road.