James Morrison: 'So much changes every day'

In the seventh and final of our ‘Men at work’ series on paternity leave, we hear from James Morrison who lives in Adelaide with his wife and five-year-old daughter

• Clarke Gayford is staying at home with baby Neve. So what’s the big deal?

Where I work, we are given an unusually generous amount of time off for paternity leave. Other fathers we know would usually take two or four weeks off, and that’s all they’ve been able to take. But that seems like almost no time before you have to be back at work and not be with your child again. I mean even three months went by in no time. I felt bad about going back. So much changes every day. Once you go back, you feel like you’re missing out.

People thought it was a good idea that I became the full-time carer. I think some of the people we know wish they’d been able to do it. One couple we know did the same thing when they saw how well it worked, so that one or the other could always stay home with their daughter as well. We’re both lucky that we’ve been able to find some flexible part-time work that lets us arrange it that way.

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2MptZBW