The other day was like “take your kid to work” day only flipped around.

I was visiting my son last week and one day I went in to see where he works. Mike’s told me a lot about his work, but I wanted to put a picture to what I was hearing. I wanted to see his working world and the people he works with.

It wasn’t just like “take your kid to work” day; I didn’t go into work with him. Mike starts at 5 am and there was no way I was going to go in that early!

I drove over later in the morning but, as I made my way, I couldn’t help but think about the times I took my kids to work.

Some time when they were each in junior high, I took Karlie and Mike to work with me. I set up my day to let them see a variety of things that I do.

I gave them some work to do while I studied, and we went out for lunch … which I remember was a big hit – one of the highlights of the day. I took them with me when I made some visits, and we did some work together on a project I had on the go.

I think both of my kids had a fun day coming to work with me. It certainly was different from their school work and they got to see firsthand some of what I do rather than just hear about it.

That’s what was nice about going into Mike’s workplace. I got to see firsthand what he does and where he does it.

I got a tour of the plant, met some of the people he supervises and some others he works with.

After I had seen the place and met pretty much everyone who was there at the time, it was almost lunch.

He took me to a lunch spot that he’d been to before and we had a nice meal together … although interrupted by a work call that I could tell was going to change his afternoon plans.

On the way back to his office, we made plans to meet up after work. I then left for a business appointment of my own that I needed to make in the area.

As I drove away, I was really glad I had gone in to see Mike at work, to see him in his environment and meet the people he works with. It gave me context for when he talks about his job.

I’m really proud of what he does and what he’s accomplished so far in his career.

There was just one thing that was exacting the same as when I took Mike to work back when he was in junior high … I still paid for lunch.

… Some things take longer to flip over than others. But I wouldn’t trade it.

Here’s the thing: If you have kids, at some point things are going to flip from you to them. You will eventually watch them do the things you once did … but it’s more than just what they do, or how they work. Are you setting a spiritual example for them to embrace and live out in their adult lives? What you do now will flip from you to them. Make sure the most important thing – your relationship with Christ – is flippable.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What good traits do you see in those you influence? Leave your comments below.