Sue Campbell - The Parental Leave Playbook

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AMY BEACOM, EdD

FOUNDER AND CEO OF THE CENTER FOR PARENTAL LEAVE LEADERSHIP

SUE CAMPBELL

Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beacom, Amy, author. | Campbell, Sue (Freelance writer), author.

Title: The parental leave playbook : 10 touchpoints to transition smoothly, strengthen your family, and continue building your career / Amy Beacom, Sue Campbell.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021033913 (print) | LCCN 2021033914 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119789239 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119789116 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119789246 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Parental leave.

Classification: LCC HD6065 .B34 2021 (print) | LCC HD6065 (ebook) | DDC 331.25/763—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021033913

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021033914

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover image: Inspired by Sorbetto/Getty Images and created using Humaaans.com

This book is dedicated to:

My children, Luca and Maggie, who transformed me and my world . My beloved, Mike, who believes in me always . My mom, Peggy, who taught me how to do it all, with heart first . —AB

My family and all the families about to form . —SC

THIS BOOK WAS written during a global pandemic, social justice protests, climate catastrophes, and extreme political division. At points, our stock market crashed, our hospitals nearly did, our Capitol fell under siege, our loved ones got sick, and unimaginable numbers of them died. Our social safety net was tested and found sorely lacking. Record numbers of people became homeless, and those of us who didn't couldn't safely leave our houses. Our schools and workplaces shut down, and parents had to somehow figure out how to keep working—while also serving as online school navigators or homeschool teachers and loving moms and dads.

There wasn't a lot about 2020 and early 2021 that most of us had ever experienced before. It was the definition of a world in transition and often pure chaos. There were genuine moments of dread when we asked ourselves if we would get to the other side intact—as individuals, as a country, and as an interdependent world.

Over a year into it, we are only now beginning to lift our heads to notice that we have also been given some invaluable gifts during this time.

For many, our relationships with our loved ones have moved back into center position after being pushed aside by work for too long. Nurturing our physical and mental health has taken on new significance and priority. Where our careers may have felt off-track, job loss (either from being let go or being forced to quit for caregiving duties) has created an opening to realign our work with our values. Indeed, our guiding values have taken on deeper significance as we search for meaning amid so much trauma.

These gifts that we couldn't have imagined just a year ago now exist and are real. They will alter our perspective of the future as well as how we live each day. We wouldn't have developed our new priorities and enhanced awareness if we hadn't first weathered and persevered through the storm.

As much as the polarization of 2020 tried to force everyone into opposing camps, the aftermath is reminding us a healthy system cannot be either/or . You cannot have happiness without sadness, light without shadow, skill without practice, growth without challenge. It is the same with the transition that happens during the parental leave time frame, though on a personal scale.

When it comes to parental leave, our country is also at a historic moment of transition. We see clearly that the system is broken and employers and employees need better support. However, while the transition may be under way, it is far from complete.

We have never had a nationwide paid family leave policy in the United States, and, although some will fight against it, we soon will. We have never had a robust field of parental leave coaching and support, but again, we soon will. We don't yet have a standard parental leave practice or process, but with this book as a start, that too is coming. If the analogy is an employee announcing a pregnancy, then as a country we have just announced to our manager that we are expecting, and they have dropped their head into their hands and promptly responded, “Oh, crap. What am I supposed to do now?” We have a chaotic situation without a clear and shared understanding about how to fix it, and we are not yet to the part where the gifts that come with the chaos are obvious. But we will be there soon.