Last year in June I got a new job...my dream job. Since we didn't know when the adoption would happen I applied for this job thinking that I needed to stop putting my life on hold hoping for a child soon. This job is perfect for me in so many different ways but a real advantage for the future is that it is part-time.
Then in September we were chosen by J to parent her son T! However since I had only been working at my new job for 3 months I was only allowed to take a short leave of absence to go get him and once we got back home I needed to go back to work right away. In Canada the labor law states that you need to have been working at a job for at least 7 months to take any extended leave of absence. So D and I have both worked part-time for the last 4 months. It was hard to leave my boys at home in the morning but once I got to work I did great (remember, this is my dream job!). And the last few months have allowed D to bond with T in ways he otherwise wouldn't have.
And now my 7 months of work is up and this is the first official month of my maternity leave. Yay! In Canada we get a paid one year maternity leave with each child -- technically the year is broken down to 17 weeks of maternity and 37 weeks of parental leave. The maternity leave must be taken by the mom and the parental leave can be taken by either parent or shared, etc.
Because T entered our family through adoption I am only eligible for the parental leave. The maternity leave portion of the year is saved for women who have birthed a child. Bah! I view this as discrimination but then what do I know! This law has been fought in British Columbia by adoption advocates but to no avail.
Oh well. In the end I am glad for the next 37 weeks (9 months) off with my precious son.
4 comments:
YIPPEE to parental leave - boohoo to only 37 weeks (don't get me started either). Enjoy every momment. Can't wait for our play dates!!!
L
Congrats on finally getting to start your leave! I had not idea that you hadn't been able to until now. That must have been hard, but you have a very positive attitude about it. Anyway, I'm glad you now get your time off with your precious little guy!
Alysia
Yahoo!!!! It is so exciting that you are on full time mat leave. It does suck that you only have 9 months.... but just to give a different side of things.... it took me a good 3 months to heal from my c-section (to be able to do stairs without pulling and pain) so I sort of understand some extra time. Hope you and T are enjoying your time together!
And you can always remember us here in CA... Yay to 6 weeks mat leave! And parental leave is without pay!
Enjoy and cherish this time with T!
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