City Dads Group members took to social media Tuesday to support efforts in Washington, D.C., to convince U.S. lawmakers of the importance of paid family leave and erasing the stigma of fathers taking time off to care for their children. Nearly 50 of our dads and other fatherly friends used #Dadvocates, #PaidFamilyLeave and #PaternityLeavePledge on Twitter and Instagram to tell their stories about the need for parents to receive paid time off from work to care for their children, especially in those critical early … [Read more...]
Paid Paternity Leave Gave Me Special Bonding Time with My Newborn
My husband, Matthew, and I chose the surrogacy path to fatherhood. When we started our journey in November 2014, my employer provided six weeks of paternity leave to primary caregivers; Matthew’s only provided one day for the birth of a child. Fast forward to January 2017. My employer, American Express, extended parental and paternity leave to 20 weeks to all care givers! In addition, it was paid paternity leave -- at 100% pay -- and your job remains protected for the duration -- well beyond the protected, unpaid 12 weeks of leave made available to parents through the federal Family and … [Read more...]
Paternity Leave Campaign Aims to Create Advocates Online
With Father's Day nearing, Dove Men+Care wants to cultivate advocates for paid paternity leave through a newly created forum on social media. The grooming products company, a longtime outreach partner with City Dads Group, has launched Advocates for Paternity Leave, a closed Facebook group. In this digital space, DM+C hopes expectant dads, families and other individual and business allies will find inspiration to help change federal laws regarding paid family leave, engage with other like-minded activists, and learn how to advocate for the cause, according to company spokespeople. As … [Read more...]
Giving Time, Not Money, Priority for a Healthy, Happy Family
Even before becoming a dad, I always thought my role as a father was to be the family’s provider. I grew up in an environment where undoubtedly that was the case, and it was reinforced by the corporate environment where I started my career because the culture there highly valued money over time. Therefore, it’s no surprise that I grew fascinated with focusing on my career and making as much money as I could, even at the expense of my personal time. Then -- boom. My wife and I had to deal with a series of health issues. First, it was mine: a serious case of shingles that evolved into … [Read more...]
Paid Paternity Leave Pledge, Grants Offered by Dove Men+Care
Disclosure: City Dads Group received compensation from Dove Men+Care. Paid parental leave is a major cause for City Dads Group, in particular, paid paternity leave for new fathers. Despite some progress in recent years, many men still face ridicule and diminished career prospects whenever they chose family over work even for something as momentous as the birth and upbringing of a baby. Our longtime partner Dove Men+Care aims to push the conversation forward with a new campaign asking for individuals and businesses to take a Paternity Leave Pledge to encourage the creation and use of … [Read more...]