Having a kid born in the middle of the pandemic and work from home situation is amazing. In no other time would a working western father spend so much time with his young child.
Reconnecting more and more with religion (Judaism in my case.) To say it plainly, religion represents millennia of people asking deep questions and struggling through answers, which is more honest than the alternative. Though the above sentences would make zero sense to me a few years ago, so I wouldn't expect them to sway anyone who isn't ready there.
I also developmed an even deeper appreciation for society, capitalism, and technology. The fact that we have reliable electricity, water and internet here in NY, can go rent a car, can buy fruit on the street at 3am - all these things are modern miracles.
I’ll become a working western father soon and my paternity leave will be ~6 months regardless of pandemic. So I don’t buy the “no other time” argument.
I am guessing this comment is a reference to paternity leave lengths in some of the eastern part of the western world? :)
Ok fair enough, but not exactly the point I was making. Even once I was back "at the office" the fact that I could walk out between meetings and play with my son for 5 minutes is incredible. And yes some further pedantry is possible: some people have been all remote for years.
Nonetheless, for most people this is a very new situation and worth celebrating.
Yeah sorry if it sounded too entitled (otoh there is not much “entitlement” I paid for all this with my taxes several times over). I’m happy that you have he the chance to be with your kid more I just read your post as “it’s impossible for fathers who work to enjoy kids prior to the pandemic”.
By "western" he probably meant "US based". In many European countries, the (paid) paternity leave can be split between both parents, and some countries even offer additional financial benefits for taking this option. As an anecdotal data point: all of my friends, who have children, chose to split paternity leave.
Reconnecting more and more with religion (Judaism in my case.) To say it plainly, religion represents millennia of people asking deep questions and struggling through answers, which is more honest than the alternative. Though the above sentences would make zero sense to me a few years ago, so I wouldn't expect them to sway anyone who isn't ready there.
I also developmed an even deeper appreciation for society, capitalism, and technology. The fact that we have reliable electricity, water and internet here in NY, can go rent a car, can buy fruit on the street at 3am - all these things are modern miracles.