There’s no guaranteed leave even for women who have been working at the same place for 10 years if that company has fewer than 50 employees.

When my co-worker made some comment about me being out for six weeks, I laughed at him and said that it’s going to be longer. He said, “but six weeks is standard!” I said I don’t give a shit if it’s standard. It’s not the standard everywhere else in the fucking world. I refuse to come back at six weeks. Fortunately,…

Oh man, that just pisses me off to no end. Totally unreasonable.

I’m pregnant for the first time and I am now completely freaked out after all of this SIDS talk. I’m not going to be able to sleep ever again.

I’m not doubting the trend, but I don’t see how kids could be safe from SIDS or choking without leave being at least 3 years. From what I understand, Estonia has the longest paid leave period in the world, at 62 weeks. The argument is that this baby wouldn’t have died if parental leave was paid and lasted longer. It…

True. Plus, it’s insulting to daycare providers. My MIL was a family daycare provider for nearly 30 years and she is excellent with children—better than most parents. Yeah, there are bad daycare providers and that’s why you do your research (which is pretty easy to do these days). Most daycare providers work very hard…

Where do you live where people would ask you that? I don’t know anyone who is able to take more than a couple months off, paid or unpaid. I also don’t know many people who can afford to stay at home. I’m amazed that the shaming thing would still be a problem given that most women go back to work. Or am I just clueless…

It’s all in the voice.

Oh my god, YES! What the hell?

The lazy eye totally ruins it for me.

You should not be ashamed. His voice and smile are perfect.

A cook or a chef? My dad was a chef and he was able to support our entire family of 5 doing that. I’m sure part of it depends on where you live. This was also back in the 70s, when people were actually paid semi-living wages.

Ugh...my brother’s family is like that and they miss birthday parties and family events because of it. When they are present, they aren’t relaxed and fun to hang out with because they seem frazzled or distracted by whatever event/activity they have to get to next. My sister’s family is completely opposite and I’ve…

Who says life is supposed to be hard work? I agree that kids are worth every bit of exhaustion, but part of the problem is that American culture is obsessed with work and time. The rest of the world thinks we’re crazy. The fact that we’re one of a couple countries with no guaranteed, paid parental leave is a prime…

It is fair for you to complain. Over the last 30 or so years, the average work week has become significantly longer (not to mention being tethered to work through technology) and real wages have remained relatively flat. It used to be affordable to go to college (and a degree was a guarantee of a solid job), but now…

Silly you, everyone knows that it’s men who pay taxes!

If she’s 29, she has plenty more years to go before she enters the “high risk” category. The miscarriage thing sucks though. Even one is enough to make you want to scream and throw rocks at something. Still, miscarriages are more common than people think, so she shouldn’t feel discouraged if she really wants more…

Yeah, the only people I know who have kids in their 20’s are either married to someone older or weren’t planning the pregnancy. I’m in the midwest, too, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my state (Minnesota) has a higher average maternal age than the surrounding states. Your OBGYN’s take on maternal age is refreshing!

Really? I didn’t think anyone had planned pregnancies in their 20s anymore. As a 36-yr-old pregnant woman, I think you’re still quite young!

Obviously the people who concluded this have not obsessively thought about bad news!