Has 'Take Your Child' run its course?

Thousands of businesses will be visited by the children of employees today in an annual ritual that, I think, has become something of a joke. Way back when -- and I remember that far back -- we brought only our daughters. It was a way to show them how women could function and succeed in the workplace. Then boys wanted in, and they, too, came.
Now elementary and middle schools pretty much close down because so many kids are at their parents' job. But I wonder how much kids really do learn about the business world by a day of pretend activities. In fact, most kids I've talked to see this less as a learning experience and more as a day off from school.