Laugh with Me – "Take Your Child To Work Day"

Host: Jeremy Odom
Date: April 1, 2026
Podcast: Laugh with Me (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Theme:
Jeremy Odom explores the real meaning—and lost lessons—of "Take Your Child to Work Day," using his background as a former grocery store manager to hilariously examine how the day has shifted from eye-opening work education to a kid-friendly party.

Episode Overview

Jeremy Odom takes listeners through the evolution (and, in his view, the decline) of “Take Your Child to Work Day.” Once an earnest opportunity for kids to shadow a parent and get a taste of the real workday, Jeremy notes the event has become a staged, funhouse version of actual labor. Through personal anecdotes, sharp comedic observations, and reflections on his grocery store days, Jeremy advocates for a return to showing kids the real challenges—and rewards—of work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Modern "Take Your Child to Work Day" Is Too Soft

• Jeremy’s Facebook Story: Jeremy opens with an anecdote about a grocery store making a four-year-old's birthday a cheery, play-work experience with a mini uniform, bakery cookie tastings, and cake in the conference room.

  • “I'm sure this was a situation that lasted maybe an hour, you know, which ended in some cake, I'm sure in the, in the conference room. Fun, fun for everybody.” (03:44)

• Contrast with the Past: Jeremy reminisces about shadowing his own dad (a periodical delivery driver) and experiencing the unfiltered reality of the daily grind, without treats or fanfare.

  • “There wasn't any, like, tastings and no birthday cake at the end. I mean, there was nothing like that. It was a completely shadow of the job, and it was awesome. I learned a lot.” (05:38)

What a Real Grocery Store Workday Should Teach

• Reality Check for Kids: Jeremy imagines a no-holds-barred "Take Your Kid to Work Day" for little “Timmy” or “Tommy,” tackling real tasks.
  • Produce Department:
    • Kids should be learning to look for bad produce, not just admiring the good.
    • “This is where bananas and avocados go to die. Frankly. They're not growing anymore.” (07:07)
  • Cash Register Mayhem:
    • Jeremy mocks the lack of real training for cashiers in 2026, highlighting the confusion first-timers face (“rolling in just on vibes”).
    • “Long gone are the days that you had one-on-one interaction… Now you, you'll get to be in a room full of other people talking and complaining and you'll get to maybe pay attention to a little bit of video.” (08:19)
    • The experience of dealing with argumentative customers over grape prices or old receipts.
    • “Now you've got a customer busting out an old receipt showing that the price was far cheaper in 2014. See what it used to be, everything was cheaper back then. Yeah, yeah, it was. So was gas and hope.” (09:53)
  • Handling Spills:
    • Milk explosions, awkward paper towel moments, and the wish for an easier career.
    • “Come on, little Timmy, let's go. Kid's gonna be…standing there with paper towels, probably not knowing what to do. Definitely wishing their parent had been a veterinarian, not a grocer.” (10:28)
  • Butcher Department:
    • Real exposure to the messier side of food retail—and why a glimpse behind the meat counter may just make you a vegetarian.
  • Regular Customers and Odd Behaviors:
    • Assigning the kid to greet regulars who think they know every new face.
    • “They always recognize the new people. You know what I mean? They're there every day.” (12:51)

The Underappreciated (and Gross) Parts of the Job

• Coupon Warriors:
  • Jeremy’s take on “hardcore” couponers and the imbalance between effort and actual savings.
  • “If you spend an insane amount of time on this very area, on coupons, on the deals, what are you saving? Because in my eyes, time is money.” (18:31)
• The Bathroom Duty Rant:
  • Notes how many kids these days have never actually cleaned a toilet.
  • “Today's kids probably have never even cleaned a toilet. Never even cleaned a toilet. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think my children have.” (19:05)
  • Reflects on his own youth cleaning toilets at work and home, and how the “gross jobs” should be part of learning.
• Stocking Shelves:
  • Stocking is more skilled than people realize—improper stacking can wreak havoc.
  • Observes the “resume customer” who brags about shopping there for decades and thinks this earns special treatment.
  • “I just don't know why. That's always their credential. Like I don't care. The resume customer always bothers me.” (21:24)
• Price Checks and Customer Corrections:
  • With staffing shortfalls, even the kids would wind up sprinting for price checks.
  • Staring into the frozen food aisle, contemplating life: “So this is it, huh? This is what I do.” (22:06)

End-of-Shift Realities

• “One Last Thing” at 4:59PM:
  • No workday ends clean—someone always asks for a “quick” chore, like wrangling heavy carts outside.
  • “You never know what kind of trash situation you're going to find outside. There's always the runaway cart.” (24:41)
  • Not all stores have fancy equipment—sometimes it’s just a bungee cord and risky business for “little Tommy.”

The Missing Grit in Modern Kids’ Workdays

• No More Treats—Just Reality:
  • Jeremy insists the day should end not with cake, but with a glimpse of the real grind—stress, aggravation, fatigue, and maybe a few tears.
  • “I'm tired of seeing the photo ops guys. We're gonna take our kids to work with us. Let's grind it out. They need to start to get mentally prepared on what's up.” (27:10)
  • “We are going to work, and damn it, we're gonna cry about it at the end. Johnny. That's the way it should be, man.” (27:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Changing Expectations:
  • “It's not all samples, okay? It's not all photo ops at the wet rack with the lettuce.” (06:20)
• On Modern “Training”:
  • “You got no training, you're rolling in just on vibes, which a lot of times I think I can roll with that. Just give me, just give me vibes.” (08:36)
• On Nostalgia and Grit:
  • “Welcome to the real world, Timmy. Welcome to the real world. That's what we need for these kids. Take your child to work day. They need to know what it's really like to go to work and put an honest day's work in.” (26:39)
• On Coupon Philosophies:
  • “You tell them it's expired, time is just a suggestion. Suddenly they're very philosophical.” (19:56)
• On Customers’ ‘Shopping Resume’:
  • “Many times you hear, ‘I've been shopping here 40 years. That's not where that goes.’ They'll tell you, just hang around an aisle long enough. I just don't know why. That's always their credential.” (21:18)

Highlighted Timestamps

• 03:04: Introduction to the episode’s theme and Jeremy’s stance on the topic.
• 05:38: Personal recollections of shadowing his dad—no frills, just real work.
• 06:30 – 12:30: What a “real” day looks like: produce, register, spills, butcher, and regulars.
• 18:02 – 22:30: Couponers, cleaning restrooms, stocking, and customer confrontations.
• 24:16: End-of-shift chores and the true exhaustion of retail work.
• 27:10 – 27:40: Jeremy’s concluding “call to grit”—no more fun parties, just honest experience.

Tone & Style

Jeremy blends sarcasm, affection for the everyday worker, and sharp wit. The episode is both a heartfelt critique and a comedic love letter to the demanding, messy reality of work—urging parents to let their kids see (and maybe suffer a little) through it.

Takeaway

Rather than shielding kids from the grit of the workplace, Jeremy Odom suggests we reintroduce them to the true challenges, routines, and realities of work. “Take Your Child to Work Day” should be about real-world preparation—not photo ops and cupcakes.

For listeners seeking both a laugh and a little wisdom about work and raising resilient kids, this episode delivers both in spades.