Current Events > My takeaways from week one of being a dad

(+) Yeah! (+)

This shit is fuckin hard, man

really puts into perspective how shitty it is that the gop is staunchly against increasing paid leave and financial support for new parents, etc

i cant imagine the struggle if my wife and I werent well off enough to be able to take extended time off work to care for this little guy around the clock

i think of how much our family connections are helping us by virtue of gifts, helping out, etc and what it would be like if we didnt have that

if we didnt have decent insurance to pay for all the prenatal and postnatal medical care, and the ability to get the time off work to do it

i know a lot of it is instinctual but I cant imagine not having the educational resources to learn how to actually care for him

the fact that we expect poor people to just do this while working is insane to me

and on top of that, everything my wife had to go through in her pregnancy (and after) its fucking heinous that republicans want to force women to go through all that if they get pregnant. its rewarding to us because we wanted a child but if we didnt want this it would be so much to go through

btw hes really cute and I love him so much

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TheGoldenEel posted...

reallt puts into perspective how shitty it is that the gop

Literally line two and it's a political rant. You could have at least tried to ease into it lol

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

Literally line two and it's a political rant. You could have at least tried to ease into it lol

wtf dude


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Gobstoppers12 posted...

Literally line two and it's a political rant. You could have at least tried to ease into it lol

Hes not wrong though
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Also congrats on the baby
Fatherhood can be awesome
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g980 posted...

Hes not wrong though

He's kinda wrong but I'm not going to spend time arguing about it. People have been parenting for literally 40,000+ years. It's not harder now than it was before lol

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congrats on your dadhood

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TheGoldenEel posted...

Do people actually use tags? My brain didn't even register that.

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

He's kinda wrong but I'm not going to spend time arguing about it. People have been parenting for literally 40,000+ years. It's not harder now than it was before lol

Well, there is that minor little detail that many of those babies died. Surviving until age 5 was (and in some areas continues to be) a huge accomplishment.

TC, congrats!

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Lmao at Gobstoppers12 getting butthurt because his shit party getting called out for the self serving scum it is

Gobstoppers12 posted...

He's kinda wrong but I'm not going to spend time arguing about it.

yet here we are

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TheGoldenEel posted...

really puts into perspective how shitty it is that the gop is staunchly against increasing paid leave and financial support for new parents, etc

Why should your employer and taxpayers have to fund your decision to start a family though? I'm no fan of the GOP but they're not wrong here, someone has to pay for that.

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I have gobstoppers on ignore but since yall are quoting him Ill just post this



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Lol Mississippi. Bumfuck Trumper land

PoundGarden posted...

Why should your employer and taxpayers have to fund your decision to start a family though? I'm no fan of the GOP but they're not wrong here, someone has to pay for that.

Works well in Europe.

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PoundGarden posted...

Why should your employer and taxpayers have to fund your decision to start a family though? I'm no fan of the GOP but they're not wrong here, someone has to pay for that.

Because A)infants and children have no control over who is raising them, and yet they need to be taken care of because they are literally our future and B)the GOP is strongly against people aborting unwanted babies and babies that families cant support

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TheGoldenEel posted...

Because A)infants and children have no control over who is raising them, and yet they need to be taken care of because they are literally our future

There are lots of programs already in place. How much aid is enough aid? Bad parents will never go away. We can't just spend enough money to solve poor parenting.

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Solar_Crimson posted...

Works well in Europe.

We need to stop comparing things to Europe and pretending their system doesn't come with its own set of challenges. What works for them doesn't/wouldn't necessarily work here.

And still doesn't answer why employers and taxpayers should help finance someone's decision to start a family.

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

He's kinda wrong but I'm not going to spend time arguing about it. People have been parenting for literally 40,000+ years. It's not harder now than it was before lol

Doesnt mean it cant be better

And making sure kids have good early childhoods is by far the best way to improve society, because we'll churn out better adults
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Gobstoppers12 posted...

Literally line two and it's a political rant. You could have at least tried to ease into it lol

What's political about it? The GOP IS against those things. Are you arguing they aren't?

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

There are lots of programs already in place. How much aid is enough aid? Bad parents will never go away. We can't just spend enough money to solve poor parenting.

Aren't you against abortion though? So you only care about the fetus until it's actually born? Then it can just go die on the street if its family can't afford to raise it?

TheGoldenEel posted...

Because A)infants and children have no control over who is raising them, and yet they need to be taken care of because they are literally our future and B)the GOP is strongly against people aborting unwanted babies and babies that families cant support

Gobstoppers12 posted...

There are lots of programs already in place. How much aid is enough aid? Bad parents will never go away. We can't just spend enough money to solve poor parenting.

This. And I'm talking specifically about extending/expanding paid leave to raise a family, that's not fair to the employer and really isn't their responsibility. Abortion is a whole other discussion.

Hold their job for a reasonable time? Sure. 6-12+ months paid leave for mom and dad? LOL fuck right off with that

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SilvosForever posted...

What's political about it? The GOP IS against those things. Are you arguing they aren't?

I'm just going to assume you don't know what the word "political" means. It's a political rant even if you happen to agree with it.

Anyway, I'm gonna bounce from this topic. You guys go ahead and have fun agreeing with each other lol

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

Anyway, I'm gonna bounce from this topic. You

lol no you're not

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

I'm gonna bounce from this topic

Typical. @Gobstoppers12 running away with his tail between his legs when losing an argument. Must be one of those days ending in "y".

Gobstoppers12 posted...

Do people actually use tags? My brain didn't even register that.

He asks, in a topic where a tag was used

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greatest country in the world cant figure it out Lmfao

these people probably still believe the lie that the US healthcare system is more effective than other countries because its privatized



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PoundGarden posted...

We need to stop comparing things to Europe and pretending their system doesn't come with its own set of challenges. What works for them doesn't/wouldn't necessarily work here.

Maybe so, but it's still better than what we have here, a country that does everything it can to spit on the rights of its workers.

PoundGarden posted...

And still doesn't answer why employers and taxpayers should help finance someone's decision to start a family.

Workers' morale, for one.

Also, as a taxpayer, I'd rather my taxes go towards helping people care for their families, than towards the US's constant need to flex its military might.

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Btw re comparison to Europe: that first chart I posted, that should be especially interesting to the GOP who cares so strongly about the lives of (unborn) babies

infants DIE in the US at a significantly higher rate than every single European country.

We are very clearly doing something poorly

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TheGoldenEel posted...

greatest country in the world cant figure it out Lmfao

these people probably still believe the lie that the US healthcare system is more effective than other countries because its privatized

This can't be real... wtf? 0??

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All of you guys arguing with TC picked the wrong topic to fight about. He is correct.

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divot1338 posted...

All of you guys arguing with TC picked the wrong topic to fight about. He is correct.

And over 80% of Americans agree with me. (74% of republicans, too) Probably because it becomes immediately obvious as soon as you bring your baby home from the hospital

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2021/6/7/22380427/poll-paid-leave-popular-democrats-republicans-covid-19

wonder why the GOP is so firmly against it

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Solar_Crimson posted...

Maybe so, but it's still better than what we have here, a country that does everything it can to spit on the rights of its workers.

I won't pretend out labor standards and practices can't use refinement, but I really don't think it's realistic or feasible to introduce European leave standards into our workforce. Completely different culture, work ethic, logistics etc. Many small to med businesses wouldn't be able to afford paying salary for 6-12 months, someone still has to do that person's job. And I still don't think that should be the employers responsibility.

Solar_Crimson posted...

Workers' morale, for one.

Also, as a taxpayer, I'd rather my taxes go towards helping people care for their families, than towards the US's constant need to flex its military might.

I would argue it could decrease morale and create some real resentment at work.

"Huh....Suzy got 6 months paid leave for having a baby, that doesn't seem like a terrible deal " as trashy as we Americans are you know that would be abused and exploited lol. And wtf is a small business supposed to do if 3 people need paid maternity/paternity leave the same year? You're talking a six figure expense with nothing in return and that employee can still opt to quit a week after returning.

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*is a new father*
"Man, the GOP sucks."

This is a topic.

<_<

Gobstoppers12 posted...

Literally line two and it's a political rant. You could have at least tried to ease into it lol

Would you prefer a safe space/echo chamber?

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PoundGarden posted...

I won't pretend out labor standards and practices can't use refinement, but I really don't think it's realistic or feasible to introduce European leave standards into our workforce. Completely different culture, work ethic, logistics etc. Many small to med businesses wouldn't be able to afford paying salary for 6-12 months, someone still has to do that person's job. And I still don't think that should be the employers responsibility.

I would argue it could decrease morale and create some real resentment at work.

"Huh....Suzy got 6 months paid leave for having a baby, that doesn't seem like a terrible deal " as trashy as we Americans are you know that would be abused and exploited lol. And wtf is a small business supposed to do if 3 people need paid maternity/paternity leave the same year? You're talking a six figure expense with nothing in return and that employee can still opt to quit a week after returning.

the welfare queen concept is a myth made up by republicans. (Functionally) nobody is having kids for grant money

paid leave would be subsidized by the government. Again, nearly every other developed country is able to do it

let me repeat: maybe if we dont want infants to fucking die, we should model this after European countries who are ALL doing better than the US at keeping babies alive

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TheGoldenEel posted...

I have gobstoppers on ignore but since yall are quoting him Ill just post this

is MA highlighted on there because we have the lowest in the US?

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PoundGarden posted...

Why should your employer and taxpayers have to fund your decision to start a family though? I'm no fan of the GOP but they're not wrong here, someone has to pay for that.

Why should (the people who get paid taxes) have to (provide care) for (the tax payers)?

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I guess PoundGarden and Gobbles don't have children.

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This seems obligatory: https://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences4/kids

Looked gf posted...

This can't be real... wtf? 0??

Yes, but mostly no.
There's no mandatory paid maternity leave in 'Murrica, but also no prohibition against a private employer offering it.

thronedfire2 posted...

is MA highlighted on there because we have the lowest in the US?

Yes, the highlighted states are the highest and lowest numbers in the US

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TheGoldenEel posted...

Yes, the highlighted states are the highest and lowest numbers in the US

'Murrica gets listed three times! Suck it, rest-of-the-world!

FortuneCookie posted...

*is a new father*
"Man, the GOP sucks."

This is a topic.

<_<

Btw this is closely related to this:

Questionmarktarius posted...

This seems obligatory: https://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences4/kids

literally awake around the clock thinking how shitty it would be if I had to actually be a functioning member of society right now, and how fortunate/privileged I am that I can afford to not work

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Btw, get your baby a sleepsack.

We got our son one of those nested bean ones and they're honestly a lifesaver.

Also, once your child starts sleeping longer through the night, invest in night-time diapers. They're the difference between waking up to change your baby at night or not.

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Congrats on the baby TC. It's rough at first, but it will get better. Don't shake your baby!

PoundGarden posted...

I would argue it could decrease morale and create some real resentment at work.

"Huh....Suzy got 6 months paid leave for having a baby, that doesn't seem like a terrible deal " as trashy as we Americans are you know that would be abused and exploited lol. And wtf is a small business supposed to do if 3 people need paid maternity/paternity leave the same year? You're talking a six figure expense with nothing in return and that employee can still opt to quit a week after returning.

I work for the state government where new mothers can take up to a year off to bond with their baby. There's zero resentment. Raising a baby is a lot of work and everyone here is old enough to acknowledge that. And it's not like having a baby is the only way to get time off.

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Also, you nublets, tax dollars fund parental leave lol. It's not like the business is paying that.

They can hire temps in the interim.

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FortuneCookie posted...

*is a new father*
"Man, the GOP sucks."

This is a topic.

<_<

It certainly is if you're illiterate and that's all you comprehended in the entire post
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Hopefully your kid learns the art of subtlety because Lord knows dad is awful at it.