A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of giving birth to our first child. Since we have been discussing having children, one thing is clear, my spouse and I will share parental leave under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP).
Already, with a five-week paternity leave taken from the birth of our baby, we have the pleasure of discovering parenthood together, of supporting each other in the challenges brought by the arrival of a baby and of each creating a bond with our child.
Since the arrival of our baby, it’s been a roller coaster of emotions and adaptation. But with the presence of my spouse on a daily basis for these first weeks of our baby’s life, I feel supported and less alone since we can do everything together.
The support of my spouse in my adaptation to parenthood as well as the privilege that I have of seeing him become a father with our child on a daily basis is a richness and a gift that is priceless.
Veronique Larocque’s article1 which emphasizes that more and more fathers are taking longer parental leave is more than encouraging and demonstrates the interest of fathers in taking a greater place with their children. The role of primary caregiver for the child no longer rests automatically with the mother, but becomes a choice of parents. The QPIP gives parents this possibility, and that’s good.
It is the children who are the first winners of this parental insurance plan, but also the whole of Quebec society, which gains by giving more space to dads in the lives of their children. With such a regime, dads have a main role, and not just a secondary one, in the care and education of their children.
I feel privileged to be in Quebec and to have access to such a parental benefit plan, which removes financial stress and allows both parents to invest in their child. Because a child is made for two, thank you to Quebec society for having offered a plan such as the QPIP to allow parents to enjoy the first crucial year of their child’s life together.