I just learned this about Iceland and it was such a WOW! moment for me, I need to share.

Correction, it was more of a DUH! moment. In my (granted non-parental) view, modern society undervalues the role of caregiving and especially fatherhood. We (the US) give fatherhood lip service, but no real, tangible weight. No federal law specifically guarantees paternity leave. Only a few states mandate it and even less pay for it. And it is usually one measly week.

All this trying to figure out how women can have it all – focusing on women. The “duh” is that help for women has to come from somewhere. Where could we find helping hands that could support women in parenting? Men!

We need to value fatherhood in real and practical ways.

Just putting that down in writing makes me feel like I’m from the 50s. Of course we do. That is why when I heard that Iceland offers couples use-it-or-lose-it paternity leave I saw the light. Forgive me, Dads, for not seeing it sooner.