No Stupid Questions

Having a child is morally equivalent to aggravated murder (you're intentionally directly causing that person's death, as well as decades of pain and suffering), so no, breeders shouldn't be treated differently than any other murderer (though they probably aren't more likely to murder an already conceived person than the average citizen, which isn't saying much).

Of course some people might adopt, and therefore are merely enabling murderers, but they're statistically insignificant, so I'd say it's safe to assume that anyone who has children is either a murderer or a child trafficker.

In any case, no, fuck them, they might deserve to be treated differently, but definitely not in a positive way.

That sounded very American. Is this a US specific problem?

why can’t you work through lunch?

Seriously, there’s something wrong with your boss or perhaps even the whole company. If you need to get stuff done during your lunch hour, you just go ahead and do it. Why should your boss care as long as you do your job during the other hours of the week.

This might be unique to each parent as well. Some children do require extra attention and it is very difficult to managed work time in.

With most schools letting kids out around 3pm it's not easy to keep the children occupied before the work day is finished. This leaves parents either on a work call with kids heard in the background or working late at night al week.

Think of it as if the person is a caretaker and a full time employee at your company. It's basically two full times just that happen to overlap during the day.

I think calling it a privilege is really unfair but if the people are missing work and not meeting deadlines then management needs to step in and work out a solution. Work life balance is hard.

Reproductive labour is the largest segment of labour and entirely necessary to the continuation of society yet is entirely unpaid. Why is that and why do you think that someone contributing to that segment of the labour economy should be treated the exact same as someone not doing that unpaid labour? You say it is entirely their choice yet you benefit from that labour without contributing to it. That is your choice

The better question is why management is giving you flack? That’s the issue. Not your coworkers with kids.

Lots of great points in the comments. But I think so far no one has really addressed your core complaint head on, which is why society tolerates a double standard here.

Parents get a pass because they are supporting more than just themselves... It may appear that the parent who is getting a free pass is pulling less weight, if you look at this exclusively through the lens of comparing contribution to the company's productivity. But if you expand that lens a bit, you see that raising a child is also work to be valued (which you benefitted from yourself, btw). Frankly, a company with a work culture that considers its social responsibility to the community beyond merely spitting out products is a really good thing.

If you are ok with the double standard of handicapped parking, you should be ok with this too.

If you are treated badly, don't get mad at people who are treated a bit less badly.

You're looking at it all wrong.

You're letting yourself get pushed around. The parents have their priorities figured out. They know work isn't their life. You should stop trying to narc on other people and stand up for your own self.

Having kids you have absolutely unbreakable obligations. Work shit can wait. You'll learn that eventually.

Feels like there is more than just 1 answer....

There's always some sort of excuse with them. Have to go pick him up from the bus stop, have to go pick him up from school

First part of my answer: when they have to, then they have to. Raising kids isn't just always fun, it is hard work too. No need to make it even harder. If nobody has kids, humans dy out.

Why do you need to go pick up a prescription at lunch time, like why can't you work through lunch?

The other part of the answer is just an asshole boss (can't say it with nice words, sorry, not sorry). As soon as you find a better one, give this one a greeting from me with your shoe print on his backside.

I would assume cos as humans with empathy for our children hard wired into us to the point that we will kill to protect them (insert some quote about natural selection here). As humans with empathy we can empathise with how that feeling is for others (a feeling a non parent can never understand). As social pack animals we are programmed to ensure the future of the tribe thus the collective protect the young even if the young dont nessasarilly have ur genes. Thus these feeling hardwired into us by evolution may manifest in the behaviour u have witnessed.

Ie. Without well adjusted and cared for children our society is fucked. And most people realise that.

It can be frustrating to see, but remember, parents almost never get any actual time off. Go home at the end of the day? Kids to deal with, and perhaps shuttle around. Weekend? Kids. Holidays? Kids. Parents have enormous, constant responsibility, so cutting them some slack is just basic compassion.

Besides, any decent parent would choose their kids over their job anyway, so being accommodating only makes good business sense.

I think your complaint is similar to that of non smokers when smoke breaks were normal. What you see as preferential treatment is just how everyone should be treated.
Also, In my 20 or so years in the legitimate workforce, I have seen parents cut slack and parents get run off because the boss doesn't like people having other priorities. In my direct experience it's been a lot more boss dependent than anything else.

I don't think so but tbh it sounds like you're just in a bit of a shitty team. My coworkers with kids do the same thing but so do I with no kids. I can just disappear for a bit as long as I'm getting my work done

I've worked at a lot of different places and in my experience it varies a lot.

Some bosses cut everybody slack. Some bosses are jerks and cut nobody any slack. I would say most of them play favorites with their employees (some are blatant about it, some are more subtle). Some bosses cut the workers with kids more slack. Some bosses cut the workers with kids less slack.

Anecdotal evidence is like that. It's emotionally compelling, but doesn't really tell us what's going on in the bigger picture.

I think in general people should be understanding of each others’ situations and make things easier on them where possible.

Speaking as a parent, I can pretty much guarantee that you are living a less stressful life than your coworkers with kids. Not sure it means much but hey

As someone without children:

They should, yes. Children are extremely important for our future so especially people who earn well and can provide their children with a good life (likely leading to a successful carrier later on) should be encouraged to have them.

Additionally this kind of culture is needed if we want women to have same chances as men (since childcare still is majorly done by women, and likely always will be (progressive families split it evenly, conservative families don't or at least don't split it evenly, for every families where the father does more there's at least one where the mother does more))