Pros of Maternity Leave

On a similar topic to my last post on the differences between Maternity leave and working in an office, I was thinking this week about some daily pros and cons of being on maternity leave.  Missing the commute came to mind when watching news early in the morning, the annual review came to mind because its that time of year, and leaving my card behind came to mind when I thought I lost my house keys this week.  Right now I'm trying to emphasize the pros to being on leave, next week I'll talk about three cons.

Pros to being on Maternity Leave

Missing the Commute
Most days I wake up early with my son and it's funny to turn on the TV or radio and hear about the morning commute.  It doesn't sound nice to gloat, but really it is funny to sit there half bleary listening to news of traffic jams and train switch problems and it has no effect on you at all!  I used to take the train downtown before I was pregnant and in the last few months of pregnancy I drove to work.  Most days the commute was just routine, but then there were days when I really dreaded it. Over 1.5 hours a day wasted, no more.

Not having the annual Review
In school I didn't mind report card time or exams that much.  I did well in most subjects and got along with many teachers.  That didn't prepare me for the fun of work reviews.  They weren't like report cards in school which were done by the teacher and handed to you without discussion or debate.  Work reviews were almost the exact opposite and being an introvert I dreaded them.  I dreaded the discussion of a rating for my year of work.  How could a year of work and so many projects be distilled into one rating?  Then the discussion of a possible raise or bonus?  I hated that even more.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed getting the resulting raise or bonus if I did, but the stuff leading up to it, I wasn't a fan of.  So at this time of year when the review would take place, it's like a sigh of relief that I don't have to have one.

One last thing on reviews.  Its not like I don't get reviewed by my infant son everyday.  I do.  His reviews are totally honest, instant and frequent.  His reviews are also delivered with much passion and quite loudly at times.  I like it much better that way.

Not having an access card to get in & out of your office
I admit it, I have a horrible memory.  Especially when I was pregnant.  My memory just got worse.  My office had a security access card entry like most downtown offices.  The security was there to keep out thieves, (many a laptop had gone missing over the years).  I hated this system because I forgot my card at least once a week.  So I'd have to go borrow one from a coworker anytime I wanted to go for a coffee or to lunch or to a meeting.  It was a painful, dreadful day when that happened.  For some reason it made me feel a little bit too much like a prisoner!  Well, being at home I obviously don't have to worry about this.  Funny thing is with a baby you can't come and go as you please so easily either, and there a lot of things you can forget, but its not the same thing, and I'm glad.

These are just three personal pros of maternity leave that came to my mind.  What are some of yours?  Next week I'll describe three cons.  They will be harder to come by though, I admit.