Article Source: http://goo.gl/FC0KXN
Desmond Choo: Families at the Core of National Policies
Advocating the importance of spending quality time with the whole family, NTUC Director of Youth Development Unit Desmond Choo joined over 1,400 happy families at the NTUC U Picnic on 12 March (Photo Source: NTUC U Family)
I spoke with a banking executive whose son is around Sarah’s age. To her, she would have wanted flexibility such as tele-commuting or part-time work. But she was worried that asking for FWA might cast her in a poor light with the bosses – thought of as “less committed to the cause.” Or even, the first in line to be cut in a downturn.
Legislated or a default right to request for FWA after maternity leave opens up the conversation for women. It also encourages our companies to seriously work towards providing FWA. Going a step further, putting in place 8 weeks of FWA on top of the existing 16 weeks of maternity leave would go some way in supporting working mothers to more successfully transition back to work while still being able to do their best in caring for their newborn.
As for me as a father… It is a mixed bag of joy and guilt. It is way cliché but I finally understood why it is a “bundle of joy”. I enjoy the mornings when I read to her (from the books in the SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift Box… But we have since moved on to “Ollie”). We have 20-30 minutes of Papa-Sarah time. But that is all I usually get. I try to do my part by cleaning as many bottles (and lots of strange items) as I can. (Frankly, this is nothing compared to childbirth… 23 hours in the delivery room told me all I needed to know about the will of a mother) And I wanted to be there for as many vaccinations or check-ups as possible. I want to be there for both mum and daughter. I can’t imagine not being there when she had a most painful procedure for tongue-tie (or Ankyloglossia).
Fathers want to be there for their wives and children, and I am no different.
Read the full article here
Desmond Choo: Families at the Core of National Policies
Advocating the importance of spending quality time with the whole family, NTUC Director of Youth Development Unit Desmond Choo joined over 1,400 happy families at the NTUC U Picnic on 12 March (Photo Source: NTUC U Family)
I spoke with a banking executive whose son is around Sarah’s age. To her, she would have wanted flexibility such as tele-commuting or part-time work. But she was worried that asking for FWA might cast her in a poor light with the bosses – thought of as “less committed to the cause.” Or even, the first in line to be cut in a downturn.
Legislated or a default right to request for FWA after maternity leave opens up the conversation for women. It also encourages our companies to seriously work towards providing FWA. Going a step further, putting in place 8 weeks of FWA on top of the existing 16 weeks of maternity leave would go some way in supporting working mothers to more successfully transition back to work while still being able to do their best in caring for their newborn.
As for me as a father… It is a mixed bag of joy and guilt. It is way cliché but I finally understood why it is a “bundle of joy”. I enjoy the mornings when I read to her (from the books in the SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift Box… But we have since moved on to “Ollie”). We have 20-30 minutes of Papa-Sarah time. But that is all I usually get. I try to do my part by cleaning as many bottles (and lots of strange items) as I can. (Frankly, this is nothing compared to childbirth… 23 hours in the delivery room told me all I needed to know about the will of a mother) And I wanted to be there for as many vaccinations or check-ups as possible. I want to be there for both mum and daughter. I can’t imagine not being there when she had a most painful procedure for tongue-tie (or Ankyloglossia).
Fathers want to be there for their wives and children, and I am no different.
Read the full article here
