Why Does Money Matter More Than Family?

While Heidi and I were taking birthing classes we stumbled across this frustrating info in a parenting magazine:

"Give birth to a baby in France and you can count on at least 16 weeks of paid leave to cuddle and bond. Have a child in Norway and you get 42 weeks at full pay. Sweden promises 390 days at 80 percent of your salary. So how much paid leave does Uncle Sam guarantee America’s moms? Try zero, zip, zilch.

That’s right, the United States may be the world’s richest nation, but we’re also one of only 5 out of 174 that don’t mandate any paid maternity leave. Three others are poor countries (Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho); the fourth, Australia, at least guarantees a full year of unpaid leave, plus a small lump-sum payment to all new mothers. We can’t even match that: The US Family and Medical Leave Act merely requires employers to offer 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, and the rule applies only to companies with 50 or more workers.

Only 52 percent of companies surveyed with 50 or more employees offer paid maternity leave – and most pay only partial salary. The result: Only 32 percent of first-time American moms with jobs take paid maternity leave, and only 43 percent use paid leave of any kind.

Our government’s unwillingness to provide moms and babies this time together has consequences: In a recent UNICEF study of child well-being in developed nations, the United States ranked in the bottom third. Incredibly, when it comes to infant mortality, we rank a low 33^rd among 195 nations."

During President Bush Senior's administration the "Family and Medical Leave Act" was brought to him three times and he vetoed it all three times citing that it would cost American businesses too much money to allow employees to take time off, and remember, he is a Republican, the political party that stands up for the American family. Yes, nothing says family values more than forcing an employee to go to work after a baby enters this world or when a loved one is dying of...oh, I don't know, let's say cancer...no, brain tumor.

Ironically the "Family and Medical Leave Act" was one of the first pieces of legislation Bill Clinton signed into effect in 1993 and one of the most popular laws passed. Clinton noted in his autobiography that of all the changes he made while in office this is the one that people express their gratitude for the most. Hmm, I wonder why?

But the lack of quality family time is not limited to just major medical events. Last spring Expedia.com did a study and found two things, first, Americans are given fewer paid vacation days than most other western nations, and second, Americans are not using the vacation days they are given. In fact, Americans leave approximately 460 million unused paid holidays a year. Here are the comparisons...sorry, kind of small.

The saddest part about this whole thing is that, "Despite these statistics, Americans do see value in vacation, with more than 39 percent reporting they feel more productive and better about their job upon returning and 52 percent claiming they feel rested, rejuvenated and reconnected to their personal life." 53 percent feel more connected to their family as a result of the paid vacation.

So what on earth prevents families from spending this valuable time together? Money...nothing but no-good, home wrecking, filthy cash. The study found that 18 percent of US adults have canceled or postponed vacations because of work and 29 percent say they feel stressed about not working during their vacation. Furthermore, 24 percent report they check work e-mail/voicemail during their vacation.

Let's be honest, it's not worth it, and I'm just as guilty as the next guy. But when our time is finished here on earth what will we think about the most and wish we had done more of, the money we made or the good times we had enjoying God's planet? To finish here is a picture of me standing in front of a buffalo and Heidi sitting next to a goat.