To think this petition is actually ridiculous?

[SkaLaLand]

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/306691

@Inthemuckheap - Started by a bloke too - was he bored?

Ah but you cannot assume that from the name James! It could be a gender fluid/gender neutral/trans named person.

Or more likely a bloke who wants his DP off for another 3 months paid so he can be absolved of his share of the child care and housework and she can get on with it

It was at 88,000 when I looked at yesterday and it is now at 131,296. It literally goes up non stop. Just who are all these crazy entitled people?

Somebody enlighten me please as I didn’t quite understand

Is this a petition to get those who are on maternity leave to get extra paid time because the world is on lockdown ?

Extra time for what ??

I’m genuinely confused

I’m on maternity leave at the moment and I think this is ridiculous. I chose not to go to any baby classes with DD, personally couldn’t think of anything worse

I am making the most of DP WFH and being able to spend time together as a family, which we wouldn’t have had under normal circumstances.

People need to get a fucking grip

I’m on mat leave and my friend asked me to sign it, with the justification that she’s due back at work but won’t be able to take her baby to nursery, because it’s shut, or to her parents, because she’s self isolating. I think it just puts us in the same position as all the other non-keyworker parents whose children can’t be accommodated at school or nursery right now. As far as I know they aren’t getting paid leave unless they’ve been furloughed?

In the middle of my maternity leave and I cringed seeing this petition on social media. My maternity leave is for me to raise my baby, which I'm perfectly capable of doing without baby groups. Am I a bit disappointed that I can't fanny around going out for coffee and cake whilst everyone else is working? Yes. Do I think that this is an important issue right now or that I deserve three months pay for missing out on said coffee and cake? No.

It would be nice wouldn't it? I'd love an extra 3 months off paid, but the reasoning is silly, baby groups are for the parent, not baby.

What about healthcare and other frontline workers who have actually returned to work during their planned maternity leave to staff hospitals etc?

I didn't go to baby groups with baby no 3 because that was practically impossible with a preschooler and toddler along for the ride.

Should I get free money and holiday from the government and my employer to make up for it?

Or maybe DD should call Childline because I didn't socialise her as a baby? If she ever gets off bloody houseparty with her mates I'll suggest it.

I don't agree with the petition. At all.

It has taken YEARS for those who have had premature babies to get any sort of extended maternity leave, which i believe something was only confirmed last month? I'm not even entirely sure! Nevertheless these parents sick and fragile babies were often still in NNUs when the mat leave was over, and money was very short. But did anyone do anything immediate about it then? Nope. People have been shouting about this for over a decade and no -one gave a shit or support enough.

But oh god forbid that new mums during COVID cant see family or go to baby groups. I read some quotes yesterday and I just thought it was pathetic and entitled.

Sorry but if something was to be passed then I would be totally disgusted.

I didn't do much with mine until they were 9months and able to enjoy themselves. That was when my unpaid mat leave kicked in. Although I do appreciate that not being able to have your family meet your newborn must suck, so perhaps it's more of a"making up for lost time" thing

@Blackandwhitecat01 I believe it’s been passed but won’t come into effect for a while yet.

I think this is where my anger stems from, DD1 was a preemie and we look to be following the same path with DC2 who will be a lockdown preemie. Which do I find the hardest to deal with? Certainly the prematurity. If your biggest worry is not going to baby sensory on maternity leave you are doing very well. Please do not make it seem like you have been robbed of precious time with your DC though. Come back to me when you’ve had to leave your child in hospital for weeks on end and tell me you were robbed of time with your DC

😡

It won't happen. Some people are just entitled and trying their luck.

It's just embarassing. For whoever started it and whoever signed it.

God how ridiculous

I wonder how many baby groups he runs? And who can't spell 'lockdown'?

@Gruffawoah thanks a lot, Very helpful!

@Thighmageddon maybe not patents: but my son knows what a Trade Mark is when he sees one, thanks to all those intellectual property baby groups we attended before lockdown.

@schafernaker