Family/Maternity Leave

Although now more relevant with the presidential election, paternal/family leave has been an issue since women hit the work force. Today, the mother typically will be on maternity leave for a few short months (often unpaid), while the father may be given a day or two to help with the laboring process. To me it seems that while mothers do have these first months with their children, the babies are still not getting the time they need to build a stable, loving relationship with their mothers, let alone fathers if they are in the picture. Hillary Clinton says, "Too many moms have to go back to work just days after their babies are born. ... And too many dads and parents of adopted children don't get any paid leave at all. Neither do sons and daughters struggling to take care of their aging parents. None of this is fair two families." I completely agree with her on this issue. Time with family is a very precious thing, especially in the first years of someone’s life. This is time that we can never get back. No mother should ever have to choose between work and her child. No one will ever be as precious, as harmless, or as innocent, as they in their first years. In my opinion, most jobs could even be considered trivial in comparison to these priceless moments.
One counterpoint that many seem to argue is that this can’t be good for the economy. In her Newsweek article, “The Argument Against Paid Paternity Leave”, Nita Dehi argues that paid family leave will make companies less likely to hire women and lead women to quit the workforce all together to become stay-at-home moms. When in reality, companies may be even more likely to hire women. If a short paid family leave is mandatory and both parents are there to help each other, then they may both be able to return to work sooner once everything is figured out at home. After all, the responsibility of a child shouldn’t be pinned on just one parent. This would create both a better workplace environment, and a better home life for employees.
Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world and there are some companies that may not be able to afford these types of benefits for their employees, but if a small leave is required for everyone by law, then a small reasonable donation will pay off for that company in the long run and it may even get them back on their feet. In the end, we all go through life with regrets, remorse, and unfulfilled dreams and wishes, but what if we could reduce a few of the most important ones? We all only get so many trips around the sun, and our younger family members only get so many with us, so why not spend every moment we can with them? Although money is a necessity, it shouldn’t be our main priority. If a family is well off enough to enjoy each other’s company, why should a parent work instead of know their children? Life is too precious to waste away working.