Post Written by Michelle Noehren for WorkingMother.com

Working Mother Media recently launched their campaign to gain paid parental leave in the United States by 2015. In honor of this important campaign I’ve taken to a little poetic doggerel.

—————————————————————————–

Thanks a lot for the unpaid leave.

Unfortunately, it’s only a minor reprieve -

We’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed

And losing our income makes us quite frenzied.

-

If family values are what our country supports

Then why aren’t we cohorts

Working together to enact paid leave?

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

-

Our paid parental leave should be in harmony

With France, Germany and Hungary.

But instead, the U.S is at the bottom of the list

And working parents suffer (if you get my gist).

-

Taking time off to care for a newborn

Should make us feel happy, instead of torn.

But here we sit in 2011

Questioning our society’s misdirection.

-

It’s about time our country fell in line.

I’d really like to see paid parental leave become a reality in my lifetime.

————————————————————————-