It seems that Ryan Reynolds has been making his priorities known when it comes to finding a balance between his Hollywood career and his family.
The 42-year-old took paternity leave to be with his wife, Blake Lively, after she secretly gave birth to their third child a couple of months ago, according to Us Weekly.
A source told Us Weekly, “Ryan left the set he was working on for about eight days.”
The news outlet said, the couple, who share daughters James, 4, and Inez, 3, have always remained quiet because “they do everything they can to make sure [the kids] have a normal upbringing.”
Eight days of paternity leave might not seem like a lot of days, but many new dads’ ability to take those leaves is not a right but privilege. However, it is good to see Ryan took full advantage of his paternity leave to look after his third baby and wife.
The statistics around paternity leave have been quite appalling. Many new dads are offered such leaves at most workplaces but how many of them actually use it is unknown. Hopefully, Ryan’s latest move of utilizing those leaves may help bring down the stigma attached to men taking paternity leaves to look after their newborns.
CEO of Parents at Work, Emma Walsh, told Men’s Health, “It’s where the cultural and social stigmas surrounding it – ‘It’s a woman’s job to care for the kids’ – come in.” We hope Ryan’s example sends a message to men that paternity leave should be accepted and encouraged.
