I worry that when people welcome a child into their family, they are unable to get the time needed to establish care and a bond with their child without a huge loss of earning and/or even being able to afford to take the time needed to recover from childbirth and/or establish a bond if adopted, and unable to afford childcare when they do return to work.
Read More
"I was the primary caregiver for my partner of 25 years who was battling ALS"
The ill are society's responsibility. Either we provide family members with the tools to care for one another or make government responsible for that care.
Read More
"Last October, my mom's doctor called me to say that Mom had reached end-stage pulmonary disease"
Mom lived in a different city than my home. I am very fortunate that my employer provides paid leave time, as it allowed me to spend the last week of my mom's life with her and with her sister, my aunt.
Read More
"Do you believe time spent with family is more important than time spent working?"
I am the sole provider for a family of four. If I get terminally ill or cannot work for any reason, how will my family survive? On top of that, I have no faith in my government to actually do anything to help the 50% of our population who are poor and living in poverty.
Read More
"Families are strengthened when given the time to properly care for one another."
I’m a public school teacher, and a parent of three. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to be with their children right after they are born. Families are strengthened when given the time to properly care for one another.
Read More
"His medical bills last year were close to $1M"
Family leave is essential, and not just to people caring for kids or elders. My husband was 47 when he died late last year. That's obviously not something we ever expected to happen. Financially we were fortunate. I know most other Washingtonians are nowhere near as lucky when a health crisis hits the family.
Read More
"Being in the hospital while in labor was against their attendance policies."
Paid family leave is essential. There has to be a balance. Life is full of unexpected moments, everyone needs that backup plan to sort it out, regain balance, and get back to business.
Read More
"Paid family leave spells love."
When a child is born into this world, he expects certain treatment, although he doesn't know much about the place.
Read More
"Burning through your leave in order to spend time with a new child is a luxury, but also a decision that will take years to recover from"
With the birth of my second child, I had to exhaust my sick leave during the disability period immediately following childbirth. While my son was a newborn, my husband began experiencing serious sensitivity to sound, which turned out to be a component of undiagnosed autism. As a result, he can no longer care for the children alone and we have to pay for additional childcare.
Since I returned to work, both children and I have been ill and care for all of us falls to me when a child is ineligible to go to day care. Without sick leave I have been informed that I will have to take any sick days as unpaid time.
My kids
The biggest thing I learned from all this is that burning through your leave in order to spend time with a new child is a luxury, but also a decision that will take years to recover from both in terms of accruing further leave and dealing with the expense of unpaid leave.
It is in the best interests of society for parents to have time with their new children, and this is very often financially impossible.
—Anne C., Seattle
(37th Legislative District)
"Paid Leave = Breathing Room!"
To afford someone to be a paid caregiver, some of my friends have had to moonlight on the side, also taking extra time away from the ill family member, as well as the rest of their family unit--HOW IS THIS HEALTHY FOR ANYONE
Read More