Stop the Press Spree Against Working Moms

[Anna C. 4]

I just wanna know: is there no way of paid maternity leave in the USA? What about the unpaid - what is the maximum time parents can stay at home?

Is there a tax support for childcare (sitters, daycare centers)? What are the facts?

[Sinergy 3]

Employers are biased against males and women without children. We can't get time off like that. We can't miss one day every week because "the baby is sick" or the sitter is sick. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left there to do the working mothers' job.

This is just me speaking from experience. I'm not saying all women with spawn who work are like this. Any flames directed toward me will be used to roast wienies and marshmallows.

Time off like what??? I have to take the minimum amount of time off when I give birth, just enough to recover because the system sucks so much in this country. Most countries in the world look out for their babies, except the US that is. It makes me mad that people literally have to decide they can't do the most natural thing in life because companies lose out on too much profit and the government don't care either way. God knows I pay enough in taxes every year to pay for all the lazy b**tards who just couldn't be bothered to work, not to mention the babies they spit out on a regular basis. In this day and age, this is something we shouldn't have to worry about. I guess I'll just be dropping my "spawn" and heading off back into the paddy fields then!

I agree!! my company has a policy where if you do not do 80 hrs a pay period you are then concidered part time and lose your benefits. therefore if i miss work because one of my 2 SPAWNS are sick or in the hospital or have to have shots i have to make up that time which means 8am-7pm for me until that time is made up. and we certainly dont get the time we need after having babies

now to ppl who dont have kids. you complain about it, having to work harder bc someone with kids is out, or you have to work their shift, well i dont think you will stay childless for long. and guess what, as parents we can not HELP it if something happens to our kids, if they get sick, fall and break an arm, or end up in the hospital for something, i think its unfair for ppl to be upset bc parents TAKE CARE OF THEIR KIDS. and i really feel that once childless people HAVE kids, they will feel differently then how they feel before having kids.

[ceriserose 1]

I am used to a paid maternity leave from Europe when they can't fire you, no way. There is also a law in Germany when they ask you during the interview if you wanna get pregnant that you can lie - otherwise they wouldn't hire you.

Anyway, I think it is only fair that the childless coworkers have to cover up for parents - raising a child is very important, not only to the particular family, but to society! Parents raise tomorrow's generation, and they should get as much support as possible. It seems to be very egoistic not to want to cover up - childless people have a lot of spare time anyway (kids are a full time job). It occurs to me that only people who chose not to be parents don't want to support parents.

Anyway, my point is: it is moral and society-support to help parents. And if you are religious, it's also Christian to act like that.

Just my opinion.....

I'm also used to a fairly generous paid maternity leave and also agree that raising a family is important. I agree that it's important to have people to cover when a parent needs to be there for their child.

I vehemently disagree that it should be at the expense of a person who chooses to not (or can't) have a child. I gladly cover for co-workers who need to take time, but only within what is do-able to me and mine. It's not *my* responsibility to get their work done, it's the *company's* responsibility to work through staffing issues. I also think that it's important for people who decide to bring children into this world to be able to adequately care for them, and if that means that they have to change jobs to find one more accommodating etc., then they should.

It seems to be very egotistical to state that childless people's time is less important or should be manipulated at others' will just because they don't have children. And just because someone makes a choice not to be a parent doesn't mean they don't want to support parents.

[peezey 0]

I was shocked by an NPR report a couple days ago that explained not all states actually make it illegal to ask a person's marital status or child status. The only time they can get in trouble for this is if they do not regularly ask both genders the same question. But this contributes to women not being hired, I'm sure.

[pedroh 21]

I am used to a paid maternity leave from Europe when they can't fire you, no way. There is also a law in Germany when they ask you during the interview if you wanna get pregnant that you can lie - otherwise they wouldn't hire you.

Anyway, I think it is only fair that the childless coworkers have to cover up for parents - raising a child is very important, not only to the particular family, but to society! Parents raise tomorrow's generation, and they should get as much support as possible. It seems to be very egoistic not to want to cover up - childless people have a lot of spare time anyway (kids are a full time job). It occurs to me that only people who chose not to be parents don't want to support parents.

Anyway, my point is: it is moral and society-support to help parents. And if you are religious, it's also Christian to act like that.

Just my opinion.....

I'm also used to a fairly generous paid maternity leave and also agree that raising a family is important. I agree that it's important to have people to cover when a parent needs to be there for their child.

I vehemently disagree that it should be at the expense of a person who chooses to not (or can't) have a child. I gladly cover for co-workers who need to take time, but only within what is do-able to me and mine. It's not *my* responsibility to get their work done, it's the *company's* responsibility to work through staffing issues. I also think that it's important for people who decide to bring children into this world to be able to adequately care for them, and if that means that they have to change jobs to find one more accommodating etc., then they should.

It seems to be very egotistical to state that childless people's time is less important or should be manipulated at others' will just because they don't have children. And just because someone makes a choice not to be a parent doesn't mean they don't want to support parents.

true, true

[peezey 0]

i've done that too, as a married guy with no kids.. I've had to cover for someone else because the kid is sick or something like that, which, well, I kinda understand, and I would except reciprocity at some point. but it's still unfair.. I have to be here everyday, and if it's my day off and im sleeping like a lazy bum, and someone kid's sick, damn,, adieu dreams, come to work.. aghh..

lawl

The study says that people miss work due to family problems. This can mean anything, and I've worked with plenty of people calling in or missing work in general to care for elderly parents, etc.

[Irisheyes 0]

I just wanna know: is there no way of paid maternity leave in the USA? What about the unpaid - what is the maximum time parents can stay at home?

Is there a tax support for childcare (sitters, daycare centers)? What are the facts?

The only way to get paid maternity leave of any kind is if your company carries short term disability insurance. The company I work for is very large and profitable and they don't carry it so unfortunately it's not an option for me. The unpaid maternity leave is up to 12 weeks and you are eligible only if the company has like 50 or more employees. Not sure if childcare is tax deductible, probably not, by all standards!

[mawilson 2,133]

women with spawn

Spawn?

Broodlings.

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

women with spawn

Spawn?

Broodlings.

rugrats

[mawilson 2,133]

What are we doing wrong? Look at Norway! (# of hours worked annually)

So they are lazy bastards, like most Europeans. If you're a lazy bum, Europe is the right place for you.

[PlatyPius 5]

No that was a misunderstanding pefroh, I meant people (and I know some of those, believe me, had several discussions) who say: I hate kids and don't want them. And I will never help people who have them, their own problem, they got themselves into this mess. I meant those kind of people.

Like me.

You reproduce, you take care of them. "They're the future of our country!" Then I feel really bloody sorry for our country.

See that homeless guy on the park bench? He was once "the future of our country". See that meth addict with the bleeding sores all over her body from her trying to 'get the bugs out'? She was once "the future of our country."

This country has raised kids up on a mile-high pedestal as some kind of supreme aspiration in life. If you don't like/have kids, you are looked down upon as some kind of monster. Sorry....I'm just tired of it.

And the poster who assumed that we would all end up having kids someday.....get over yourself. Anyone can pump out more and more good little consumers. It takes more control to NOT contribute to global overpopulation.

(This is a sensitive topic with me, as you can tell.)

women with spawn

Spawn?

Broodlings.

rugrats

I didn't use my favourite one....

#### trophies.

[Ban Hammer 13,336]

And the poster who assumed that we would all end up having kids someday.....get over yourself. Anyone can pump out more and more good little consumers. It takes more control to NOT contribute to global overpopulation.

(This is a sensitive topic with me, as you can tell.)

platy, studies do show that it's a safe bet that if your parents had kids, you will too.

women with spawn

Spawn?

Broodlings.

rugrats

I didn't use my favourite one....

#### trophies.

curtainclimbers

[Sinergy 3]

No that was a misunderstanding pefroh, I meant people (and I know some of those, believe me, had several discussions) who say: I hate kids and don't want them. And I will never help people who have them, their own problem, they got themselves into this mess. I meant those kind of people.

Like me.

You reproduce, you take care of them. "They're the future of our country!" Then I feel really bloody sorry for our country.

See that homeless guy on the park bench? He was once "the future of our country". See that meth addict with the bleeding sores all over her body from her trying to 'get the bugs out'? She was once "the future of our country."

This country has raised kids up on a mile-high pedestal as some kind of supreme aspiration in life. If you don't like/have kids, you are looked down upon as some kind of monster. Sorry....I'm just tired of it.

And the poster who assumed that we would all end up having kids someday.....get over yourself. Anyone can pump out more and more good little consumers. It takes more control to NOT contribute to global overpopulation.

(This is a sensitive topic with me, as you can tell.)

women with spawn

Spawn?

Broodlings.

rugrats

I didn't use my favourite one....

#### trophies.

#### trophies???? is that what you think children are? i planned my kids, BOTH of them! and when you nickname children in general #### trophies, then your talking about children in general public, and since i have children in society, i find that so offensive! i hope you dont plan to have any bc theyd be really messed up. btw not all children are meth addicts and homeless ppl on the street just a lil 411!

[Fandango 1,439]

Employers are biased against males and women without children. We can't get time off like that. We can't miss one day every week because "the baby is sick" or the sitter is sick. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left there to do the working mothers' job.

This is just me speaking from experience. I'm not saying all women with spawn who work are like this. Any flames directed toward me will be used to roast wienies and marshmallows.

Yup. Another double standard.

I agree as well! Speaking as a past regional manager of a nail salon chain...the owner was more lenient with women who had children. Speaking from a business standpoint, it's hell to have to reschedule someone's whole book for the day because she can't come in cos the kid is sick.

In a perfect world yeah flextime and all that...but since when did the employer have to bend around the employee? You either can take the job and work it as reqd or not. You shouldn't get 'special' time off for your kids cos it IS biased against those of us who don't have them.

time off to take the kids to the doctor or something like that.. look, its simple...

lets say today wednesday it's my day off and I decide to stay at home and watch all the reruns from Gilligans Island... My manager calls me 'hey PEdro I gotta take my kid to the doctor cuz he's sick'... it is EXPECTED usually for the 'childless' manager to go and cover for the parent-worker that has to take the kid to the hospital, or the baseball game, or whatever..

that IS unfair.. not that u have to do a favor to someone, but that the 'childless' workers are TO BE EXPECTED to cover for the parent-workers... its a favor, not an obligation

zactly

I am used to a paid maternity leave from Europe when they can't fire you, no way. There is also a law in Germany when they ask you during the interview if you wanna get pregnant that you can lie - otherwise they wouldn't hire you.

Anyway, I think it is only fair that the childless coworkers have to cover up for parents - raising a child is very important, not only to the particular family, but to society! Parents raise tomorrow's generation, and they should get as much support as possible. It seems to be very egoistic not to want to cover up - childless people have a lot of spare time anyway (kids are a full time job). It occurs to me that only people who chose not to be parents don't want to support parents.

Anyway, my point is: it is moral and society-support to help parents. And if you are religious, it's also Christian to act like that.

Just my opinion.....

But it was YOUR choice to have a family, and all of a sudden it's MY responsibility to cover your work? No, I'm sorry, that's just wrong.

It doesn't take a village.....no maam, it takes a parent.

[mawilson 2,133]

#### trophies???? is that what you think children are? i planned my kids, BOTH of them! and when you nickname children in general #### trophies, then your talking about children in general public, and since i have children in society, i find that so offensive! i hope you dont plan to have any bc theyd be really messed up. btw not all children are meth addicts and homeless ppl on the street just a lil 411!

Children suck.