you shouldn’t get special treatment becfause your heart is broken. take a vacation day if you’re really not up for coming in to work. my last break-up was the worst, especially because my mom died a month after it. i was lucky enough to take a week off for my mom’s death AND to mend my broken heart, but i didn’t expect any special treatment because i was sad about my breakup. it’s all part of not bringing your home-life to work. but then it could be argued that maternity/paternity leave is personal, but sometimes people just don’t want to see a woman’s water break and hear her labor-induced screams down in the cafeteria.

@minty: only a small % of men granted paternity leave here in the US take the offer as well. interesting, because we were just talking about this subject in my sociology of gender class the other day. most men don’t take paternity leave because they don’t want to be seen as “weak,” as if being weak takes away a part of their man-hood. some men may not take the days because they need the money, understandable, but they should at least take some of the time to help their mate. it’s funny how men act sometimes… an act that could “take away manness” in front of his buddies would score big points with his spouse… the things they do to make an impression. women too, but they’re a completely different story and there’s not enough comment space to cover that one.

I wonder if you can get the day off a second time with the same partner… Sometime people just fix up their relationship with their partner after a breakup.

However, even though I had permission to take the day off for my honeymoon, I decided to go in to work. At least I could have a sympathetic ear, listen to other people’s breakup stories… and it sure beat sitting around all alone on my honeymoon.

You can’t seriously be that hateful or bitter, can you? Did some American chick dump you?

Anyway, it’s probably a good idea, but what next? My-Goldfish-Died day? People have to learn to cope in the world. It doesn’t mean you don’t care, but pulling yourself together for work can be helpful at times of stress. Taking one day off just means you have no excuse not to be fully productive the next day – “You had your day off – get back to work!”

May be in Japan there is still the old cultural stigma of the loner, that happiness is in the family, etc etc – but then again they’ve adopted Western ways and letting people divorce left and right, so being FREE is just a euphemism there and here in America, now?

So regardless of what others may think this is a good concept and an example.