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Parenting is a lot of work. |
| By Tim Bete |
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© 2005, Timothy P. Bete
The Federal Government's Dictionary of Occupational Titles provides descriptions for more than 12,000 jobs -- everything from "Able Seaman" to "Zoologist." You might expect to find "parent" between "Parcel Post Clerk" (Wraps, inspects, weighs, and affixes postage to parcel post packages) and "Pari-mutuel Ticket Cashier" (Cashes winning pari-mutuel tickets for patrons at race track). Unfortunately, parent is not one of the 12,000 occupations listed.
Being a parent is the second job most adults -- whether they are chef, hazardous-waste management specialist or wardrobe supervisor - go home to after a hard day's work. For stay-at-home parents, it's the job with continuous 24-hour shifts.
My son and his second-grade classmates recently drew pictures of their parents' occupations. As I looked at the art exhibit, I overheard one boy tell his dad, "You and Billy's dad are like a team - he starts fires and you put them out." You probably guessed that the boy's dad was a firefighter. You might not have suspected that Billy's dad is an electrician - not an arsonist. The firefighter's son heard his dad say that most fires are electrical fires and assumed that's what electricians do - start fires.
After reviewing the children's pictures, it became clear that most of their parents' jobs were pretty boring (except perhaps the guy who starts fires) and weren't nearly as cool as the Dictionary of Occupational Title's definition of "cheese sprayer" (Tends equipment that coats popcorn or similar food product with melted cheese) or "Mortuary Beautician" (Prepares embalmed bodies for interment: Manicures nails, using files and nail polish and performs other grooming tasks).
According to the artwork, the most common occupation for dads is sitting in a chair. Coincidentally, that is also their most common activity at home. Pictures of moms indicated sweeping is a common occupation. When my oldest daughter was in second grade, her picture showed my wife screaming, "You're driving me crazy" while a child clung to her leg. That job description isn't going to attract too many applicants.
You might think the vagueness of the pictures is support for "take your child to work day" so kids can learn what we really do to put bread on the table. On the contrary: I think it's time for "take your parents to school day." That's just the ticket parents need to get a 24-hour break from their typical job routines.
Instead of writing memos, we could pass notes. Instead of serving customers, we could eagerly anticipate gym class, recess and lunch period. Instead of sitting in a dazed stupor during hour-long meetings listening to co-workers drone on about profits and losses, we could sit in a dazed stupor in hour-long classes listening to teachers drone on about the history of ancient civilization. Hey, at least it would be a change of pace.
But at the end of the day, when we went home from school, we'd still hold the title of chef and hazardous-waste management specialist and wardrobe specialist -- just not of the paid variety.
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About The Author:
Award-winning writer Tim Bete is the author of the book, In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers, which has been called "hilariously funny" and ""reminiscent of Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck." Autographed copies can be purchased at http://www.TimBete.com
© 2005, Timothy P. Bete |
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