The other day I was walking down the street with Robin, my nine-month-old son, in the stroller, loaded up with groceries and library books. I was freshly showered, balancing my coffee cup in one hand and wrangling the dog on his leash in the other, when it occurred to me that it has taken me almost nine whole months to master these skills and really get into my maternity-leave groove. It?s taken me this long to learn how to manoeuver the stroller up and down our front stairs, let alone be able to get us anywhere fun on time. I mean, for the first six months of my maternity leave, I was lucky if I showered twice a week.
If I were doing a standard 12-month leave, just when I really hit my stride, I?d be getting ready to head back to work. Thankfully, I?m taking an 18-month leave, and I couldn?t be happier about it. The Canadian government introduced extended parental leave in December 2017, giving parents the option of choosing 12 or 18 months. (Anyone who has been paying into Employment Insurance and worked full-time for at least 15 weeks in the previous year, or 600 hours total, is eligible for either standard or extended parental leave.)  While the longer break affords you more time, it doesn?t give you any more money. Whether you decide on 12 or 18 months, you still receive the same total benefit, just spread out over 18 months instead of 12. For the standard 12-month leave, you get just over half of your weekly earnings (up to a max of $562 a week); and for the extende...