Last April, my wife and I had our first child. At the time I was working full-time for one of the larger insurance companies in the country, and was forced to use up all of my paid sick/vacation time in order to spend a couple weeks with my new daughter.
It troubled me going back to work so soon, knowing that I was now very limited in paid time off if I got sick, or if something happened to my family. Especially given that I have a father who ails from congestive heart failure, and if his health took a turn for the worst, I could be forced to leave work to care for him.
Paid Family and Medical leave means giving people a reasonable work/life balance, rather than simply a provider. This is especially important to new fathers who may be forced to spend time at work that should be spent learning how to properly care for their young children. Having a family and a career should not be mutually exclusive choices in life. As a society, rather than just talking about family values, we need to allow for the means to instill them.
Ryan Rogers, Southington CT
