A case for family values...

http://www.newsweek.com/id/210252/page/1

In this article, the idea of paid family leave is discussed. It is of particular interest to me because I am 6 months pregnant and will start working again in September and our family is trying to figure out a way to maintain balance between work and family life. It seems funny and odd to me that conservatives really fight this idea of an extended paid family leave, especially since conservatives are also the ones to advocate for "family values" and such. It seems to me like their idea of "family values" means that everyone is a Christian, believes in Jesus, is pro-life, anti-homosexuality, etc. What about the family values of everyday Americans trying to make a living in this country? Conservatives who generally fight the concept of paid family leave look at having a family as a choice, a voluntary condition (except for when the woman wants to have an abortion), as opposed to a way of providing future citizens.

The writer makes a good case for paid family leave. Why would society not want to pay for a mother to care for her child during the first few months of life and then return to the workforce? Having a family is not something a women should be penalized for, and it seems detrimental to a society in general to not support the idea of a work/life balance. In the end, these are human beings we are talking about. Ones that will eventually be part of our working society. It only makes sense that we give families the tools to be the best workers AND the best parents because the latter is a job of such importance and has the ability to create citizens that can either be productive or counter-productive members of society as a whole.

None of this will effect me as nothing will change for a long time. I'm going to take my unpaid family leave to care for our newborn and we will have to adjust. It would be nice to not worry about how we will manage during this time, but such is the nature of American society.