Although the life of a freelancer often means having plenty of simultaneous projects and very little personal space –eventually working more time than a formal employee does– there are special situations when you can actually put into use the perks of being a self-employed professional. That is, of course, having the freedom to establish some personal priorities and choose the dates for a well-deserved, necessary free time.

What better time to enjoy a free time out of work than becoming a mother or father? We can think of none! Of course, the economic aspect of that precious time could be difficult (those little angels are fast diaper-consumers) but with good organization and planning you may have saved enough money during the pregnancy.

Fatherhood is, in fact, the precise moment when you’ll actually appreciate the freelancing lifestyle and thank yourself for having taken that wise decision at some point in the recent past. You’ll get the chance to enjoy your brand new family and don’t lose any precious moment with your little one. Indeed, if you had pursued your career as a formal employee, you wouldn’t have the same opportunities to be absent from work for very long after the arrival of their new baby.

Unless you’re living in Finland, where new dads can enjoy 9 weeks after the arrival of the newborn, during which they are paid 70% of their salary, you’d probably only have 2 days of paternity leave. Finland is, actually, an exception: the only country in the developed world where fathers spend more time with school-aged children than mothers, to the tune of eight minutes a day.

¿Paternity or parental leave?

To avoid the confusion between paternity leave and parental leave, here are the definitions:

• Maternity leave: is related directly to the birth of a child. This applies to the birth mother but can be the case of an adoptive mother.
• Paternity leave: is a short leave (generally a couple of days) for the father around the time of the birth or adoption.
• Parental leave: an additional leave during the first year of the child—sometimes up to age three. It is often added on to the maternity leave but may be available for a father or same-sex partner. Some countries specify that it is for adoptive parents‘ use, rather than maternity/paternity leave.
• Adoption leave: is frequently covered in one of the above, but may be laid out explicitly in some company policies.

For fathers, in particular, taking leave can be challenging everywhere in the world. There simply aren’t as many statutory laws in place to specifically support them. According to a June 2018 report by UNICEF: “almost two-thirds of the world's children under age 1 (nearly 90 million) live in countries where dads are not entitled by law to take paid paternity leave.”

A recent Mercer study, the global professional consulting leader, reports that 80% of large global employers explicitly do offer paternity leave (paid or unpaid). However, around 23% of new fathers in G7 countries like the US are declining to take even paid paternity leave. The reasons, according to Mercer‘s dare sometimes economic but mostly linked to societal stigmas that still linger around G7 fathers who take time for child bonding or domestic chores.

Saving before the birth date

If you’re now in the sweet expectancy and looking for ways to generate saving in the upcoming months, here are some useful ideas for you:

1. Start working extra-hours. By now, you probably have established your working hours according to your ideal balance of work-life/personal life, and it’s being very effective in the financial terms; however, now you’ll double your expenses and if you’re willing to dedicate your time to your baby during his first months of age.
2. Compare hospital costs. The same service at different prices is often due to the area of the city.
3. Say yes to baby showers. You’ll receive plenty of useful gifts, almost everything that will needed.
4. Shop secondhand for clothes. Or, just use your old shirts. Right now, you don’t actually need a new suit, do you? This isn’t the time for buying clothes (or anything else) for yourself, only for the baby.
5. Avoid the "need" to buy everything. Reduce your general expenses at home, and always coupons.

TranslatorPub wants to wish you happy holidays. For more information, you can contact us at [email protected] or visit our site www.translatorpub.com