[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

THE POLITICS OF PATERNITY LEAVE

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HON. PATRICIA SCHROEDER

of colorado

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, September 20, 1995
Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, today I want to give thanks to Tom
McMakin who in the September 25 issue of Newsweek, wrote a moving
opinion piece that reminds us that the Government can be a force that
helps the American family and fosters family values. In a time when
bashing the Government is as popular as ever, Mr. McMakin took the time
to point out how the Family and Medical Leave Act, a bill I first
introduced in 1985 and Congress passed into law in 1993 has helped him
in his new role as father to his 4-month-old daughter Valerie.
Tom McMakin's words are an inspirational ``thank you'' to the many
Members of both sides of the aisle who worked, compromised, and
persevered so that American families could bond with their newborns or
take care of elderly parents without sacrificing their economic
security.
As Mr. McMakin states in his article, the Government is not bad, but
is ``an expression of our collective will.'' Now, as we are debating
bills that are going to significantly effect the lives of all Americans
we should keep in mind what is really important to the millions of
people who are like Tom McMakin.
[From Newsweek, Sept. 25, 1995]

The Politics of Paternity Leave

(By Tom McMakin)
Valerie's asleep now, having snacked most of the morning,
fussed and finally closed the brightest blue eyes I've ever
seen. Quiet moments like these are rare when you are taking
care of a 4-month-old. When she sleeps, it's time for me to
mix more formula, wipe the counter, call about life insurance
and then, if time allows, break open the laptop and sit down
to write for a few minutes. Welcome to paternity leave, a
spicy stew of belches and smiles. DPT shots, heavy warm
diapers and the odd moment of reflection.
The idea that fathers should take time off from work to be
with their newborn children is a relatively new one, but it's
an idea that is long overdue. Two years ago, time at home
with Valerie would not have been possible. But thanks to the
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, here I am changing my
daughter's diapers and enjoying her first gurgles and
giggles. Who would have thought it? A bunch of faraway
lawmakers passed legislation, and it profoundly affected my
life. Their law, PL103-3, requires that companies with more
than 25 employees allow them to take up to 12 weeks of
uncompensated time off to care for their children. Because of
this legislation my life is richer.
Much richer. This bundle of sweet smells I call my daughter
has given me the gift of new sight. A trip to the supermarket
used to be a dreaded errand; now it is the highlight of my
week. Valerie has taught me to look beyond our store's
confusion of brands and hype and focus on the colors, shapes
and happy chatter that make each visit a carnival of sight
and sound. We squeal at the celery, spit heartily at the
dairy rack and shrink in terror at the sight of the frozen
turkeys. The moving counter by the cash register is a
revelation.
A walk downtown has been similarly transformed. Everyone
loves a baby. And we love them back for it. People I've never
spoken with, but have passed on the street many times before,
smile and ask how old she is. To be a baby, I've learned, is
to live in a friendly, welcoming world. But it's not just her
world; it's mine too. Because of my time home with Valerie,
I'm also much more understanding of children and parents. I
rush to help a mom with a stubborn car door or a dad whose
youngest is on the verge of straying. I smile at mischievous
kids, happy to see them speeding off in this direction or
that, ruining their parents' best-laid plans.
I have paternity leave to thank for teaching me these and
other lessons (never dump formula in cold water--it doesn't
mix). I am grateful to my wife and to my employer for
encouraging me in my decision to stay home and am grateful to
a government that made taking this time possible.
Sadly, when Valerie and I walk downtown and stop at the
local coffee shop, we hear people talking about government in
two ways, neither of them very good. They say that government
is either ineffective or misguided, with most agreeing that
it is both. It is not hard to understand why the ranchers and
business people clustered around the small Formica tables
think this way. In our state of Montana, the public owns 39
percent of all land. That means there are legions of federal,
state and local managers running around doing surveys,
convening task forces, forming policy and interpreting
regulations. With so much at stake and with so many
bureaucrats in action, it is inevitable that these well-
intentioned civil servants make mistakes. When they do, the
mistakes are widely discussed and greatly criticized.
That's a shame. Somewhere in the rush to criticize, we have
failed to see the forest for the trees. While Bozo the Clown
may run a public agency or two, I cannot escape the fact that
my sitting here today trading coos with my daughter is a
salute to the possibility inherent in public action. On Feb.
5, 1993, our representatives in Washington decided it was
important that families be allowed to spend time together
when they most needed it and, more important, that wage
earners should not lose their jobs while caring for a dying
mother or recuperating from a serious operation or spending
time with a newborn. In my book, that bad boy of American
culture, Congress, did something right when it passed this
law.
The citizenry of this country has expanding and contracting
tastes in what it wants its government to do, not unlike the
members of the credit union to which I belong. One year we
may ask the credit union's management to make sweeping
changes, add more services and expand the types of loans it
is willing to make. And then that energy runs its course and
the membership elects a new board or hires a new manager to
trim costs and services. When we ask the credit union to add
services, we are not suggesting that credit unions ought to
take over the world. By the same token, when we ask it to cut
services, we are not saying credit unions are worthless. It's
more like riding a horse up a hill: you might go to the left
for a while and then to the right, but, even with the zigs
and zags, you are still headed in one direction--toward the
top.
In this current season of scaling back government--both
Republicans and Democrats seem to agree that this is a good
thing these days--my hope is we remember that government is
capable of doing things and doing them well. I work 40 hours
a week because my great-grandfather voted for a reform
Congress at the end of the last century. My savings at the
credit union are insured because my grandmother voted for
FDR. My dad put Eisenhower and a forward-looking Congress in
place in the late '50s. As a result, it takes me one hour to
travel to Butte and not two, on an interstate-highway system.
Government isn't bad in and of itself. It isn't some
malevolent Beltway-girdled ogre perched on the banks of the
Potomac. It is, rather, an expression of our collective
wills.
But wait. Valerie is stirring. Little wet slimy hands
await. I need to warm a bottle, find a fresh diaper, pad
upstairs and quietly make sure she is serious about ending
this nap, and finally peek over the side of the crib and
drink in that bright, beautiful smile that never fails to
remind me why I so like being a dad at home.

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