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Over the past century, the role of women has undergone a dramatic revolution. They are no longer the archetypal passive counterpart to their working husbands, spending their days cooking, cleaning and looking after their broods of cherubs. In today's society, in addition to these household chores, the mother must also don the pants, bring the bacon home and win some bread. However, just as their predecessors kept their children about them as they went about their mundane household duties, so modern mothers should be allowed to take their children to work with them.

Not only will the child be under the constant vigil of a watchful maternal eye, but also gain an enlightening insight into the etiquettes, politics and mechanics of the workforce which they will one day enter. They will also appreciate that money really does not grow on trees. Mother has to work nine to five, five days a week in order to receive the fruits of her labour, in the form of a flimsy piece of paper.

I can testify to the benefits of a mother taking a child with her to work because I spent many a school holiday at the college where my mother works. From a young age, I helped in the library and at the reception, perfecting the refined art of filing and cateloguing. Tasks such as these bolster the child's self-esteem, providing them with a sense of fulfillment they too, are making a social contribution. They also teach the child essential skills in communication and interaction with colleagues. Most importantly, the relationship between mother and child will become closer, and their mutual understanding and appreciation will be consolidated. I'm eighteen now, and I still sometimes go with my mother to work, to visit the numerous friends I have made there and to spend some quality time with my mother.

Taking a child to their parent's workplace is far to be preferred to the alternative home-alone solution, which many parents resort to. Whether rejoicing in their newfound freedom or sufffering from a severe case of boredom, even the most disciplined child will attempt dangerous things or engage in inappropriate activities. They may tell you they have been practising the piccolo for the past five hours when you call them, but how can you be sure they have not been playing with matches, chatting to strangers on the internet or surfing other improper websites? Never presume that every child will emerge as physically and psychologically unscathed as Kevin from the Home Alone series.

There are always exceptions to the rule, of course. If a child is uncontrollably hyperactive or raudy, constantly diverting their mother's attention from her work, then an alternative solution must be considered. Or if the environment in which the mother works is inappropriate or likely to cast an undesirable influence on an impressionable child for examples, bars, casinos, hospitals or factories. In all other cases, children should be allowed to accompany their mothers to work, and the boss and the colleagues should feel content in the knowledge that they have helped alleviate one of the tremendous difficulties and pressures facing the 21st century mother.

Learn more about this author, Mimi Lu.
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