There are countries where seeing such a scene would be unthinkable (A deputy from Kenya is expelled from Parliament for going with her baby: where is the conciliation?), But the president of the New Zealand parliament has given an example of conciliation when giving the bottle to the baby of a deputy during a full.
After returning to work after his paternity leave, Labor deputy Tamati Coffey went to Parliament with his baby, and the president of the House of Representatives, Trevor Mallard, did not hesitate to calm him down, give him the bottle and play with him throughout the session.
Later, it was he who shared the moment in his Twitter account, congratulating the father and his boyfriend on "the new family member", the result of a surrogacy.
"Normally, the presidential chair is only used by the presidents, but today a VIP has sat with me."
Normally the Speaker's chair is only used by Presiding Officers but today a VIP took the chair with me. Congratulations @tamaticoffey and Tim on the newest member of your family. pic.twitter.com/47ViKHsKkA
- Trevor Mallard (@SpeakerTrevor) August 21, 2019
In Babies and moreThe tit and parliament: an Australian senator files a motion while breastfeeding her babyLocal and international media echoed the news showing different moments of the session that Mallard attends while caring for his partner's baby.
AdvertisingA photo of the Speaker of New Zealand's Parliament feeding a legislator's baby while carrying out his duties has been shared all over the world. pic.twitter.com/G8MvuuAOkb
- SBS News (@SBSNews) August 22, 2019
A father and his baby in parliament
We have known cases of mothers who have come to the plenary with their babies, and even Jacinta Jarden the Prime Minister of New Zealand took her three-month-old baby to the UN. But this case is particularly special, since it is the first time that we see that a father takes his baby to his job after paternity leave.
A good opportunity to make visible the work of parents as caregivers and normalize the fact that they can also make work and family life compatible, something that is sometimes frowned upon by women, and even more so between parents. They are no less men to do it, much less. So, we applaud examples like the one given by the president of the New Zealand parliament.
In Babies and more The Prime Minister of New Zealand becomes a mother, giving us an example of leadership and motherhood
