Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bring Your Child To Work Day

Last week we had “Bring Your Child to Work Day” at the office. I have been through many over the years and some are fun. Some are not.

I am logging onto my computer and I feel two pair of eyes on me. Their dad, let’s call him “Adam”, came over and said “these are my daughters, ‘manda and Meghan. I told them you’d help them if they needed anything - I’m going to be out of the office for an hour”. Well, ‘manda and Meghan were the cutest little girls, ages 7 and 9, all dressed up for their visit. They had moved to Minnesota a year ago from Nashville and had the most charming southern accents. Their dad set them up in an ampty office near me and told them he’d go get their “treats”.

Dad comes back with two frosted PopTarts and two cans of Mountain Dew.
He leaves. ‘manda promptly burns her mouth on the PopTart and starts screaming. But soon they were both engaged in a video they’d brought..

Half hour later - “Miss Kathy, can you help us open another treat?” Gummy Bears. I asked if they were allowed to have this and both explained that their dad doesn’t get to see them too often (mom has custody) and he wants them to have as “much fun as possible” so of course it was okay.

Adam finally comes back and says let’s look in the minifridge in his office, where he has a supply of pudding snacks. The girls squeal with delight and start shoveling the pudding. Then they got thirsty and had more soda.

But it was only 10 a.m. I was actually waiting for one of them to vomit.

Things calmed down after the kids found another girl to play with and went to investigate how the paper shredder worked. Then dad took them out for a special lunch.

They came back from lunch with a big shopping bag from Candyland, an old fashioned type confection store, and dumped its contents onto a file cabinet - jawbreakers, licorice, gumdrops. Where on earth did they have room for this huge volume of food?

One of my co-workers had been emailing all morning, asking what Adam was doing stuffing his kids with sweets. I could tell she was getting ready to confront him, and she at last stepped up to the plate.
Why are you feeding the girls all this sugar? Surely you know that eating too much sugar will give you diabetes, just like it did Kathy.By then, a couple other employees were taking in the conversation, and both looked at me and nodded solemnly. Within a second, the conversation had rotated from a dad trying to win his kid’s affection with candy, to me giving myself the db by pigging out on tootsie rolls.

I said “you know, I think I’m gonna call it a day” and left.

The next morning as I put my hand on the mouse it felt all sticky and crusty. There was a little trail of half eaten Jelly Bellys leading to the edge of my desk.

Then I heard someone say that Adam had was not coming in because both girls were sick with a weird 24 hour virus. He hoped they hadn’t been exposed to anything by coming to the office……….tough world, ain’t it?

10 comments:

Zazzy said...

I don't even know what to say.... people are so clueless!

And congratulations on not ending your story on how you gruesomely killed your coworkers. Incredible restrain!

Araby62 (a.k.a. Kathy) said...

O.M.G. I am speechless. Just, wow. The tackiness extended beyond your mouse, I'm afraid.

My SIL had gestational diabetes last year and actually asked me if taking insulin would give my niece diabetes some day. I wish ignorance had a cure, too.

It is sad and stunning to realize how much Real People don't notice about their food. PWDs are either aliens, or the only sane members of our species. *Sigh*

You have the patience of a saint, my friend!

meanderings said...

I'm also speechless - It's sad that the dad is so clueless. It's even sadder that the coworker is so stupid.

Kassie said...

I'm so impressed that you didn't explode all over them! Some days, it just doesn't pay to be a diabetes-educator-to-the-world, right? ;)

Carol said...

Ugghhh!! What IS it with people? The ignorance is bad enough, but the insensitivity is what really floors me. Glad you called it a day, as it sounds like your breath would have been wasted trying to educate them.

J.B. said...

That sucks, majorly, Kathy.

I have nothing to add except, "Happy Friday". Today is another day...

Rachel said...

Yuck. Showering kids with things (expensive video games, candy, whatever) because you don't have custody is just wrong.

Of course, the statement about candy and your diabetes riled me up as well.

Kevin said...

Ignorance is bliss for the ignorant, but pure torture for the informed...

Bernard said...

Words fail me.

The dad is clearly a moron, and not really helping his children at all. But your co-worker....well. Would you give me her email? :-)

Hugs to you, this is a stinky disease.

Living with Diabetes said...

Seriously? In this day and age, there are really people who still think you 'get' db from eating too many sweets?

That is so sad!

Time to litter the lunch room with some pamphlets and hope they can read.

Kelly