Got a lot of things on my mind, this 4th of July-eve. I've really been bugged by the whole working mother thing as of late. Lots of attention in recent months on breastfeeding and working mothers - and breastfeeding in public. It's a shame in this country that we are among the worst of industrialized nations when it comes to how we treat new mothers. After 12 weeks of leave - half of which was unpaid, the other half paid, thanks to vacation leave I had accumulated and a bit of short-term disability - I was just beginning to get my feet on the ground. Thank God that I was able to extend my leave through the winter holidays. It really felt like a very cruel thing to do, to have to return to work, as I was just beginning to get to know my daughter.
Obviously, their are serious considerations for employers - it would be quite an effort to accommodate a year of leave for every woman who gets pregnant. On the other hand, I wonder what we are giving up? What are we sacrificing? As we continue to witness more painful things in our society - an obesity epidemic, violence, bullying, helicopter parents - I wonder if we started out right, what that might do for us as a society. No, a year of maternity leave won't solve any of those problems. But I have to believe that valuing motherhood - parenthood - that might be a good start.
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