In December Qualtrics announced that it would give ten days of paternity leave! This is a huge deal because almost all of the sales people and engineers are men, and most of them (at least in the Provo office) are LDS men. Generally speaking, these LDS men are doing their gosh darn best to “multiply and replenish the earth.”
The introduction of paternity leave might potentially devastate the Qualtrics work force.
As recipients, we are grateful from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you, Ryan Smith. You are our hero!
Until now, our family has never gotten paternity leave, ever. For the first two kids Abe was still at Guardsmark and on the phone taking work calls while I was in active labor. (Births also recall to mind our wedding day, upon which Abe was in charge of a long-distance security special and obligated to answer every phone call, no matter what time of day–or night. [Posterity, your inference is almost surely correct.])
After Ammon was born, Abe was at Qualtrics but had almost run out of personal days because we had had so many family funerals that year. As soon as he went back to work, (thank goodness Ammon was born right before a weekend!) I was left alone to figure out how to handle three kids and lice round #3. Oh, and he had to take a work trip about week or so later. The current tone here is one of my faves: Me, the Martyr. I love it so much and will miss it when therapy starts doing its job.
In contrast: My brother gets so much time off that he, Swathi, Soren and Meera are literally spending months traveling through Europe and Asia before they return to work. The fact that I am not beside myself with envy is a testament to my undying love for them and their darling children.
SO: Four months after Clarissa was born, paternity leave was announced!!! Abe gets TWO pro-rated days of paternity leave that expire at the end of this month. Since he is going on a work trip for almost all of next week, he is taking those two days this week.
So far, it has been heaven. There are almost no words. I can’t even. It has been, just…
GLORIOUS.
Such an improvement on the whole “by the sweat of man’s brow” thing. Can’t we be done with that by now?? It’s 2018.
One heavenly moment from Tuesday: Abe and Ammon playing contentedly before nap time. Clarissa was asleep, the girls were at school, and we could all just relax and be a family of three (so cute!) playing pretend for the better part of an hour. As you can see from the pictures and observe in the video, this game of pretend was largely parent driven. Ammon watched in wonderment as his toys reached new heights of imaginative potential.
In the evening Abe had to go to a work dinner, but before then we got the kids fed, ready for bed, and the house COMPLETELY clean. I mean, the floors were even mopped. It was amazing. I had a great evening at home and was thrilled when Abe came back with tales of his evening adventure. We were in bed by 9:30 and ready for Insanity by 5am the next morning.
It was a great day.