Shaking Like a Leaf

I told my boss today. I was so nervous, and had been eager to finally tell him, but also hesitant, as its kind of scary. I don't know why it is, it shouldn't be, but it is a scary thing, telling your employer you value your family in the United States. Especially as a woman. Its odd really in this "First World" (ugh I hate that expression) country, that there is so little love for mamas.

I am so grateful, and feel so lucky that I will have the support, love, and financial security that my husband and I have wholeheartedly worked very hard at for the past decade we have been together with our own, bodies and bank accounts. But that's with no help of the government we pay our taxes to, or our employers that we have given 20-50+ hours a week to since we have both respectively been 14 years old and paying our taxes. Whoa, I just realized that I've been earning a living for more than half of my life. And that doesn't include the dog walking, cat feeding/watching, and babysitting that I did for several years before that.

Any way, its really alarming to me, and was one of the reasons I tried to be an Ex-Pat in England. Too bad, I fell in love hard and had to move back to beautiful San Francisco and kill that dream. Haha, anyway, seriously though. Its really outrageous. Health and Education should be our first priorities as a country. Not guns and money for the rich. Look at this list of best and worst developed countries to have a child I found here:




Or this chart of maternity benefits I found here. The US has ZERO mandated paid days off for woman who gave birth: