"Me"ternity

  Meghann Foye wrote a book called Meternity. It's a book about how a woman with no children is entitled to the same "leave" as someone who has them.

  Let me start by saying....it's a work of fiction. Fiction. Not real. Fiction. Because boy are people pissed. The premise of the book is a woman fakes a pregnancy to get some time off to figure out her life. Sounds like a good read actually.

  But women, mothers, went crazy. As if this was a personal assault on themselves. How dare this author write about a woman who is jealous that new mothers get time off. As if it's a vacation. Or that she is angry because she has to pick up the workload of this new mom.

  In Canada there is three months maternity leave and an additional nine months parental leave. By definition the maternity leave is for the mom only while the other time can be split in any combination you choose. John took the nine months for each of our boys.

  Look I had two c-sections. It's major surgery and requires six full weeks of recovery. There would have been no way for me to go to work every day. No matter what job I had. Getting dressed and downstairs was a challenge for the first two weeks home. So recovery time, no matter how the baby is delivered, is important.

  While we have the luxury, and yes it is a luxury, to stay home many, many women do not. For financial reasons mainly. Some want to go back to work immediately. A choice. Life is full of them. 
  
 It's always a good sign when a book creates a conversation. This one certainly does. I can see both sides of the issue. And it is an issue because, like it or not, when a woman, or man, takes maternity/parental leave, someone must cover their work. That's a fact. 

  The work doesn't just sit there til you come back.

  Ang