When my girls were born I was self employed and didn't get to take anytime off. Plus I had to work most weekends just to handle the work load. I regret it but that was my situation.

Now that I work for someone else and my work place providing this type of benefit you're damn right I would take all the time I could to be with my wife and new born child. It's a no brainer.

Work to live and don't live to work.

I obviously have no clue b/c I'm no lawyer, but I thought at-will employment meant you could be fired for any reason. So, if a few months after getting back from your FMLA leave, you got fired, how in the heck is that going to be proven to be tied to your FMLA time off?

To me, taking 12 weeks off for any reason, just shows your employer how they are able to get along without you just fine at work...

There are exceptions and retailiation for excersising your rights as an employee, things like filing a work comp claim, or taking your federally protected FMLA leave is another.

Doe killer is correct. I'm defending a FMLA retaliation claim that is based on nothing than temporal connection b/t return to work and termination.

What about smaller companies? I forget the cap #, but as I recall, with less than a certain number of employees, you can basically do whatever the hell you want. Obviously, it could affect your rate for unemployment ins. But there was no good means of retaliation.

Isn't the USA the only industrialized free market economy in the world that doesn't offer paternity leave. Our guys in the UK and Australia get 6 weeks paid paternity leave. In America, it's basically, use your vacation days.

I'm sure some companies offer it, but I've never heard of any US company offering it to the father.

And look how sissified those countries are.

I think in other countries a persons insurance is not tied to their employer either. I don't understand how someone can expect an employer to do without their workers if the employees wife has a baby. Maybe a week but 6? I guess if you have 100 employees you could make it work out but what if you have 4 or 5?

Why should an employer pay for this time off? What if an employee wants 10 kids? Not arguing but I just don't see it. This seems more like a personal responsibility thing to me.

I'm not that kind of guy at all. When you have tried for over 5 years for a child and had to finally do invitro, yea I wanted to take time off. I got 10 days from work and I have my time that I have built up to take off which in total will be about 5 weeks. Oh on top of that there has been complications with breathing and thyroid issues. Not to mention our closest family is 4 hours away. I do not think me taking off to helpyou wife makes me any less of a man. If I want to use my time off for spending with my newborn that's my decision.

If a man wants to take off time with his newborn I have no issue with that. Should men get 12 weeks paid frome work like a woman no, but if it is there own vacation they have built up then I'm all for it. Government or companies shouldn't be mandated to pay for men or women to be off 12 weeks...that's a long time.