New Zealand is currently at 22, but moving to 26 weeks paid parental leave for babies born from July 1, 2020. The paid parental leave is up to the parents to d

New Zealand is currently at 22, but moving to 26 weeks paid parental leave for babies born from July 1, 2020. The paid parental leave is up to the parents to decide the split between them. I think it is a great idea for fathers to be encouraged more to take a share of the paid parental leave. This could go some small way in helping remedy income disparity between genders. I was deployed and/or travelling a lot when our boys were young. Another poster questioned the value of time with infants as opposed to when they are older. I do think bonding with infants and toddlers is super important for both parent and child. But it can also feel like a robotic and laborious grind. As my boys enter high school, I most enjoy our ritualised time together during daily school drop offs and pick ups. Engaging with them, guiding them on their own journey, and observing how far they have come. I have few regrets, but one of them is not spending more time wth my kids when they were younger, which probably feeds the extra effort in recent years to spend more time with them as they grow into young men. You can’t get time back. Make the most of every minute.