So I have a unique situation. I’m a teacher and my daughter was born on June 4th just before summer vacation began, so I was able to be home with her without using up any of the 12 weeks of baby bonding time offered in CFRA leave. Since I switched schools this year, I decided that instead of taking those 12 weeks right away, I wanted to go in, meet the staff, and try to form a relationship with my students first. School starts on Monday and I am planning to teach for two weeks and then go out on my official maternity leave for the full 12 weeks. However, I have SO MUCH guilt about it. As a kindergarten teacher, I feel like I should cancel my leave because it would be better for my students and would ease the minds of their parents. But as a mom, I feel like I shouldn’t feel badly for wanting to spend extra time home with my daughter. I am so torn about what to do! My colleagues are divided in how they respond when I tell them I’m leaving in two weeks. Some of them say “good for you” and “family first” while others say “wow that’s a long time for your students to have a sub.” Like I said, I’m at a new school this year. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers or get any sort of negative reputation. I need opinions on how to handle this. I’m so stressed...and that makes me sad. I really shouldn’t be feeling this terrible for wanting to spend time to bond with my baby. But I do! 😩