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.

  • viking@infosec.pub
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    8 hours ago

    People are idiots. Why would you give up a benefit you’re legally entitled to? Nobody is going to as much as thank you for that.

    • TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz
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      7 hours ago

      In the US fathers don’t have any legal right to take time off from work. It’s expected that you would miss at most a few days for the hospital visit.

      • ZeroOne@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        Fathers don’t have a lot of legal rights there, don’t they (“There” as in USA)