have you asked for parental leave, and if so, how did your boss react?

[kissmummy]

I'm talking about the legal right to up to four weeks a year off work, unpaid, for parents of children under the age of five.
i've just run the idea informally past my line manager because i'd really like to spend more time with my DS, two. I work full time. His reaction? you guessed it: not happy. He said okay in principle, but made it clear it would be a pain and said it wouldn't be "politically" a great idea. Translation: it won't do your career any good.
He said as i'd done really well in the last few months i did "deserve" it and that he could find a way of making it happen. But i was left with the clear impression he wasn't at all keen. I was annoyed at his attitude that this would be a favour or a reward; rather than something i'm entitled to.
The thing is, there's no obvious prospect of me getting promoted anyway, so what exactly do i have to gain by not being awkward?
The way i've left it with him is that we will talk about it face to face next week. i get on very well with him and he rates me highly. But i'm anxious not to be drawn into the trap of missing out on this special time with my son on some vague promise of promotion in years to come, that will never happen anyway.
i'd appreciate any advice/thoughts/shared experiences. i have a senior job in a hopelessly male dominated industry. i believe i am the first person in my department to ask for parental leave - though the multi national company i work for has information about it on the intranet.

I too work in a hopelessly male dominated industry at a reasonably senior level. There are still relatively few women working for the company. One of the surprise benefits of this is that they are astonishingly co-operative about flexible and part-time working arrangements for the even fewer of us who also have young children. I guess there are so few of us that the impact is relatively minor on the business as a whole. And they are all so hopelessly old fashioned that it gives them a lovely warm patriarchal glow supporting us mummies in having more time with our offspring.

However, the two really senior woman have no children, and are not likely to.....

So, I guess you makes your choices and takes the consequences really. I have been a hell of a lot happier working part time and backing off a bit from the daily career grind and in that respect I can strongly recommend any variant that gives you more time with your child. Your priorities may be quite different and that is your choice. But it almost certainly has to be a choice. Sorry.

yeah, i do realise that and it will be a bit of a wrench to deliberately do something i know will be career damaging after all these years of working so hard to get where i am. but i don't want to look back on these years and wish i'd spent more time with my son rather than trying to impress the boss. i plan to gauge from what he says when i talk to him about it face to face just what i actually have to gain from not taking up this right. if he can't specify then i'll know the answer's not much/nothing.