I’m about to start my 12 week paternity leave next week thanks to a state program and almost everyone that I’ve told has had their jaws on the floor that I would even want to do that.

Today I witnessed a group of coworkers almost bragging how little time they took after their kids were born. I’ve heard stuff like “Most men are hard working and want to support their families so they don’t take leave”.

To me it was a no brainer, I’m getting ~85% of my normal pay and I get to take care of my wife, our son and our newborn for 3 whole months. and for someone who hasn’t taken a day breathe in the past 3 years I think I deserve it.

I’m in the US so I know it’s a “strange” concept, but people have seemed genuinely upset, people it doesn’t affect at all. Again, it’s a state program available to almost anyone who’s worked in the past 2 years, I’ve talked to soon to be dads who scoffed at the idea and were happy to use a week of pto and that’s it.

I feel like I’m missing something.

  • Wanpieserino@lemm.ee
    2·
    13 hours ago

    I’ll be getting 20 days time off and on top of that I can choose between 4 months of time off if I so wish.

    Other options are 1 day off for 20 months or half a day off for 40 months.

    The thing I’m truly desiring from this is that the flemish government is protecting me from being fired the moment I request this extra parental leave.

    If they cannot prove that they fire me for good reasons, then they’ll have to pay me 6 months wage on top of the rest.

    So if they are going to downsize, or whatever, they’ll be less prone to pick me.

    I’ll take either the 20 or 40 months on this one.

    My wife doesn’t have a choice, she’s 7 weeks pregnant now. Taking off work until 1 June. Then maternity leave starting 1 august (is what her HR said, even though internet says 6 weeks instead of 12, but perhaps it’s cuz it’s a physical job) until 15 weeks after the birth.

    Personally I will do anything I can to make sure we have a long term source of income.

    Keeping a good relationship with the place that pays me my wage will be beneficial.

    I’ll take a bulk of 1 or 2 weeks of paternal leave when the baby is born. Take one day off afterwards for 2 years.