Show Me the Money (or at Least the Paid Leave)
Posted on 20. Mar, 2006 by Brian Reid in General
Longtime readers will remember my glee when California instituted a modest but first-in-the-nation paid parental leave program. Sadly, there hasn’t been a lot of progress since then. But a group in New Jersey is trying to import the idea, and I’d like to join Miriam Peskowitz in asking “what can we do to make this happen?”
This gives me a great opportunity to get onto my paid leave soapbox: I happen to believe that paid leave offers parents an opportunity to spend time with newborns under better, less stressful conditions than the current stay-home-as-long-as-you-can-economically-stand-it approach. My own experiences with at-home fatherhood were probably a direct result of my paid paternity leave. Paid leave is not a panacea — examples abound of fathers refusing to take advantage of these opportunities — but it is an important step in creating the right conditions for not only at-home fatherhood, but more active and involved parenthood, period.
Speaking of Miriam, the award for best mommy wars post of the week has to got to go the this post from GTWD Brian from Miles, etc. Those squeamish about rough language or passionate commentary may want to take a pass.
Becky
20. Mar, 2006
Maybe we should just keep posting Miriam’s blog in Steiner’s comments. Over and over and over again.
brianwho?
20. Mar, 2006
“Those squeamish about rough language or passionate commentary may want to take a pass.”
Indeed. She got me all riled up.
Silvio
21. Mar, 2006
I have to say, after knowing only about Steiner from this group, she didn’t strike me as being extremely terribly. Yes, her column is silly. But it’s about the length of a horoscope, and as insightful too. So I toss it off.
Listening to her on the Diane Rehm (sp?) show, I wasn’t completely put off. The link is below on this page and is worth a listen. Steiner seemed, basically, to harbor a bit of guilt that she wasn’t the at-home super-mom that she might have wanted to be. With each of her kids, she went back to work after three months. It’s all that she could take, it seems. Reconciling herself with that reality, I think, is the driving force of some of her writing. What I’ve read of it, anyway.
Also on the show was a very thoughtful, balanced at-home mother. She was very smart, and quite at peace with herself and what she is doing. If there is a “war”, it is between those who have made a decision and are content with it, and those who have done so, but are dissatisfied and find themselves being pulled in directions other than what they chose. And that isn’t a war, as it takes two sides to fight, and content people generally don’t bother with such things.
Silvio
21. Mar, 2006
I should’ve noted that “balanced at-home mother” that was on the show is one of the 26 authors in the “Mommy Wars” book that Steiner edited.
Mark B.
21. Mar, 2006
Well put Silvio. You would think that people who put in a lot of time raising kids would know enough to just ignore somebody screaming for attention for no good reason. All the blogs giving Ms. Stiener’s book attention probably just made her more money.
As for the GTWD Brian rant, being called a whore by a lawyer is about as low as it can possibly get.
Silvio
22. Mar, 2006
OTOH, who makes the money with such books? Steiner is the editor, and there are 26 contributing writers. How is such a pie normally divided up?
The at-home mother on the Reihm show was very smart, and if she (and others like her) are getting a share, I wouldn’t have any problem buying the book. Either way, it’s due to come in at the library next week, and I’ll probably check it out there.
devra
28. Mar, 2006
I think I read somewhere the 26 authors were “commissioned” which would lead me to believe they were paid for their participation. I don’t know if this means they receive a share of book sales beyond this or not. Contracts are tricky things in the book world.