September 13, 2024: Parental Leave（育児休暇）

The other day I came across an event that told me that times have changed. It is about the way the younger generations work. My wife told me that her friends' sons, who are in 30s, would be taking a year parental leave. They had their first baby and seemed to take the leave. It was a big surprise to me. They are supposed to be enjoying their businesses in their prime time. If I were them, I could not afford to take such a long leave. I had no courage to give up my business.
Looking back to my 30s, I had enjoyed my business in Europe. I used to travel all over Europe so often that I was away from my home 2 or 3 days a week. Travelling by plane was very hard, but it was part of my business. If I had not travelled, I could not have enjoyed my business. I had enjoyed it so much that I could not have given it up even if I had got a new baby. If we had had a new baby in Europe, I would have had leaves for the baby. But it would have been only a week or so. I could have had no room to take the leaves for a year.
It was my honest feeling when I first heard it. I know that I was out of date and am not allowed to have such an idea at this time. But taking a year's leave seems to be a big surprise to their mothers, my wife's friends, too. Furhter, the babies’ mothers are to return to their jobs in about a few months. I have landed foot in a new age.
My daughter also got her husband to take parental leave when they had their first baby. But it was only three months. On the whole, he seemed to be helpful in looking after the baby. But sometimes he would take a nap and forgot to do what he was supposed to do for the baby on her behalf. Seeing him taking a nap, she always thought that he must have taken the leaves not to take a nap, but to help his wife. He did not seem to understand what the leave was for.

　先日、時代の変化を感じさせる出来事に出くわしました。若い世代の人たちの働き方についてです。妻から、友人の30代の息子さんたちが1年間の育児休暇を取るという話を聞いたのです。最初の赤ちゃんが授かり、1年間休暇を取るようです。これが、ボクには大きな驚きでした。働き盛りの30代であれば、仕事が楽しいはずです。ボクが同じ立場なら、そんなに長い休みをとる余裕はなかったとおもいます。楽しい仕事をあきらめる勇気はなかったです。
　思えば30代の頃は、欧州で仕事を謳歌していました。欧州の中を飛び回っていたので、週に2、3日は家を空けるほどでした。飛行機での移動はとても大変でしたが、それも仕事の一部で、飛行機に乗らなければ、仕事を楽しめませんでした。この仕事がとても楽しかったので、もし新たに子供が生まれたとしても、この仕事を諦めることはできませんでした。もし欧州で赤ちゃんが生まれていたら、休暇をとっていたでしょうが、所詮1週間程度だったと思います。1年間も休暇を取る余裕がなかったでしょう。
これが、この話を聞いたときの正直な気持ちでした。自分が時代遅れで、いまさらそんな考えを持つことが許されないのは分かっています。でも、1年間も休むのは、彼らの母親たち（妻の友人）たちにとっても大きな驚きのようでした。さらに、赤ちゃんのお母さんたちは、数カ月後には仕事に復帰することになっているそうです。ボクは、新しい時代に足を踏み入れたようです。
　ボクの娘もの出産のとき、旦那さんに育児休暇を取ってもらいました。でも、3カ月程度でした。全体としては、赤ちゃんの世話に役立ったようです。でも、時々、旦那さんは昼寝をしてしまい、赤ちゃんの世話を忘れてしまうことがあったようです。娘が、旦那さんが昼寝をしているのを見ると、いつも、休暇は昼寝のためではなく、自分を助けるために取ったはずなのにと思ったそうです。旦那さんは、休暇の真の意味が分かっていなかったようです。