Maternity Leave: The New Career Launching Pad
April 16, 2006 by kate baggott
Filed under Finances
Yesterday, while colouring Easter eggs with the kids, I found myself concentrating more deeply than I have since the baby was born. Creativity is my source of repair. What ever is going on with me, personally, physically or financially, some kind of art (usually writing), gets me out of the funk.
Freelance writing is not a career I could have pursued were it not for maternity leave. Time is the most valuable commodity in the world and there should be no discounting the financial impact of what I call the naptime economy. What happens when a parent has a few hours of time every afternoon to think, to problem solve, to invent, or create?
I think of this time as a launching pad for copywriters to become authors, designers to become artists, jingle writers to become composers, saleswomen to become entrepreneurs. Instead of a period of career advancement, an extended maternity leave can be an experience in expanding career depth.
Reading this Toronto Star article about Mamapalooza, a music festival for the maternally-inclined, reminded me just how many women find their true vocation calling while mothering. From Hip Mamas to Survival Mamas, the opportunities are just a nap time away.
Unfortunately, maternity leave is so short in the U.S. – generally only 6 weeks, although some women save up vacation time to stretch it a little longer. Doesn’t leave much room for creativity though!
It has been nice for me to be a stay-at-home mom, but I’m still experimenting with finding my passion and still figuring out how to get enough time to myself.
Yes, maternity leave in the states at 6 to 12 is unbelievable. In Canada it’s 25 weeks for the mother and 25 for the father. While the first 17 weeks must be taken by the mother to recuperate, the rest can be exchanged from parent to parent. In Germany, a woman gets 4 months salary when she goes on maternity leave and, theoretically, she can return to her job any time between 6 months and 3 years after the baby is born. The problem being, there is almost no childcare.
But I forgot to say, be patient with yourself. Your passion is simmering, waiting and when it boils, you will know it