Caring for your infant can be magical and mind-expanding, but it’s labour too. We all need respite from the rat race, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
If I take a sabbatical from my career and go work for a charity, I’m still taking a year off from my original job. What you do with the time is irrelevant to the language used.
Should people get parental leave? … absolutely.
Is it “time off” from your job? … Yes.
Are they taking a holiday? … No.
Babies are work. They are constant, screaming, pooping, work. Not even 9-5 work, because a very young infant requires around-the-clock care, so really it’s worse than work.
At least in a regular job you can punch out and leave work at the office and go home and relax, or call in sick if you don’t feel good. None of that with a baby. You have to always be there for them, all day, all night, no matter what, no matter how you feel.
I think we’re also running into an issue of language, however. ‘Time Off’, as in, not being in the office for an extended period of time, yes, maternity leave is that. ‘Time Off’ as in, a rest, relaxation, vacation, no. Maternity leave is most definitely not that.
I looked after a baby. First two weeks were very difficult. After that you get used to the routine and I definitely wouldn’t call that time “work” - it was a pleasure being able to spend time with my child. It was definitely a time off - I didn’t have to go to work every day, I had time to get some more time for myself etc.
Yeah, but you couldn’t just hall off to the Bahamas or whatever; you were still glued to the kid. Still looking after them 24/7.
Yes, it becomes routine, but It’s still a routine, you still have a lot to do, and again, no call-outs, you’re on-call all day. It may not be a ‘job’, but it is still work.
you couldn’t just hall off to the Bahamas or whatever
You absolutely can, with a child.
It may not be a ‘job’, but it is still work
Nope. Of course you can define “work” as anything you do, including brushing your teeth and watching telly if you want - but looking after the baby is not something I would ever describe as “work”.
Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.
”Cleaning the basement was a lot of work."
Such effort or activity by which one makes a living; employment.
”looking for work."
Again, kids are work. And since, as another lemming pointed out, some people do it as an actual job, it counts under both definitions.
And if you do hie off to the Bahamas, you still have to bring that work along. You can’t just leave it behind and just have a relaxing vacation with nothing to do. (Unless you find a babysitter, but then you’re not doing the work of childcare anymore; now you’re using maternal leave for something that isn’t work).
I thought I would put my comment here to avoid ridiculous Guardian censorship which they call “moderation”:
Actually this is a year off work so very much a “year off”.
Probably bcz you don’t know what raising a tiny human entails.
If I take a sabbatical from my career and go work for a charity, I’m still taking a year off from my original job. What you do with the time is irrelevant to the language used.
Should people get parental leave? … absolutely. Is it “time off” from your job? … Yes. Are they taking a holiday? … No.
It might be a time off from employment but it’s not time off. It’s not a fucking holiday.
That’s what they said… It’s semantics. People associating “time off” with holiday for no reason when they don’t mean the same thing.
holiday = time off work where you spend your time watching after your children
Can you read?
Don’t worry, we’re quite good at censorship here too 😇
(Actually the policy is that genuinely awful content gets removed, other things get left so that the community can respond/vote up/vote down)
It’s a legal entitlement and it’s work.
How is it “work” sweetheart? 🙄
Babies are work. They are constant, screaming, pooping, work. Not even 9-5 work, because a very young infant requires around-the-clock care, so really it’s worse than work.
At least in a regular job you can punch out and leave work at the office and go home and relax, or call in sick if you don’t feel good. None of that with a baby. You have to always be there for them, all day, all night, no matter what, no matter how you feel.
I think we’re also running into an issue of language, however. ‘Time Off’, as in, not being in the office for an extended period of time, yes, maternity leave is that. ‘Time Off’ as in, a rest, relaxation, vacation, no. Maternity leave is most definitely not that.
I looked after a baby. First two weeks were very difficult. After that you get used to the routine and I definitely wouldn’t call that time “work” - it was a pleasure being able to spend time with my child. It was definitely a time off - I didn’t have to go to work every day, I had time to get some more time for myself etc.
Yeah, but you couldn’t just hall off to the Bahamas or whatever; you were still glued to the kid. Still looking after them 24/7.
Yes, it becomes routine, but It’s still a routine, you still have a lot to do, and again, no call-outs, you’re on-call all day. It may not be a ‘job’, but it is still work.
You absolutely can, with a child.
Nope. Of course you can define “work” as anything you do, including brushing your teeth and watching telly if you want - but looking after the baby is not something I would ever describe as “work”.
You get maternity pay to feed/wash/whatever another human being.
Carers have been doing this for years. It’s work. It’s even a career for some people.
Again, kids are work. And since, as another lemming pointed out, some people do it as an actual job, it counts under both definitions.
And if you do hie off to the Bahamas, you still have to bring that work along. You can’t just leave it behind and just have a relaxing vacation with nothing to do. (Unless you find a babysitter, but then you’re not doing the work of childcare anymore; now you’re using maternal leave for something that isn’t work).
Again, you are wrong.
What work sweetheart, since you just took a year off work?