at my old place of employment, it became very clear early on that, while she loved her children to pieces, she loved them largely in the way people love pets, or vases. they were a commodity, a testament to her remarkable ability to play superwoman, juggling two kids, a pregnancy and a high-powered managerial position. on occasions when school was cancelled, or one of them was sick, she spoke about it as though it were a wild inconvenience, something she simply couldn't believe she had to deal with. popular nicknames included: the appendages, the monsters.
on those rare occasions she brought the kids in, we were largely nonplussed--they were just kids, doing kid things. we weren't terrifically bothered by them. but she behaved as though she were mortified that she had to have them there, that she had to present evidence that she wasn't a hard-boiled career woman. this seemed to be the general feeling among the management in the company--kids were okay, as long as they didn't detract from the job. suffice it to say, i wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear that, after laying her off, HR called sally sue in texas, where she'd run to be at her mother's side during a terrible and sudden illness, and announced that her pay for those days off would be taken out of her severance package.
conversely, one of the reasons i feel pretty good about this new job of mine is also based on the good feeling i get about the managers and their kids. because today is a holiday, the eldest son of two of the managers had no school. so, bosslady brought him in. he's been in before, as has their youngest, and every time one of them is in, it's like a light has been turned on inside bosslady and bossman. despite the minor inconvenience of having a tiny person scurrying around the office, they simply love the fact that they get to steal a few extra hours with their kids. absolutely love it.
and the thing is, people respond to it here. my co-workers love it when the kids come in, instead of the strange tiptoeing we did at the old job. it's noisier, and crazier, and a far more pleasant place to be.