For my staff, caring for children is a labor of love, but it is also grueling work. In return for the work they do, I think it’s important to ensure that my employees can care for themselves and their families. That’s why they have paid sick days, vacation time and health insurance.

Owning a small business doesn’t exempt you from the realities of everyday life. If anything, it makes you keenly aware of them. People get sick or injured. They start families. Their family members – children, parents and partners – need to be cared for. Ignoring the inevitable only puts our businesses at risk, jeopardizing our livelihoods and those of our employees.

Before the very first bubble came through an airlock at our meadery, we had already written rules: “Your family comes first.” Providing paid family and medical leave to our employees was never a question for us. We wanted to create good jobs so people in our community could support their families. We are employers first, and our business just happens to be making a fermented honey beverage called mead.

When I left my corporate pharmaceutical job to become a small business owner in Lancaster, PA, I never thought of it as a family planning decision. But having run my art gallery for two years now, and given the state of our family leave crisis in this country, I don’t know how I could have another child and keep my business open.

In 2019, the reality is that families come in all shapes and sizes. The definition of family in both a conceptual and definitive sense can no longer be limited to a married man and woman or a birth mother and her biological children. In fact, the overwhelming majority of households today do not fit into the ‘traditional nuclear family’ mold.

A week after I gave birth to my child I had to go back to work. I had not been in business long and had no money saved. Luckily, my mom was able to come and be at my office to help care for my child while I was with patients. I had to nurse in between appointments, which was really stressful.

Recently, I gave birth to my third child. The concerns that come along with having a child at a more mature age pale in comparison to the stress that accompanied the pregnancy and birth of my first two children. Back then, I was was waiting tables and bartending. I was on my feet all the time, and my growing belly took a toll on my body and overall health. To make matters worse, I did not have access to the leave I needed to heal and learn to be a mom after my babies arrived. I had to be back at work and on my feet long before I should have been, and suffered both physical and emotional complications unnecessarily.

I started my own dental practice just over two years ago, motivated by the need to create a family friendly work environment for myself and my employees. I’d practiced at another office for six years, but I left during my pregnancy because the work culture there punished employees who chose to start or grow their families. Totally upset with how I had been treated, after my son was born I knew I couldn’t go back to work somewhere that didn’t value parenthood and the contributions of parents to the workplace.

I’m a proud supporter of New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance Program, which helps small businesses like mine provide paid family and medical leave to my four employees. All small businesses and workers, in every state, should be able to count on a program with the same benefits and protections. New Jersey’s program worked for my business, and it should be the baseline for the country.

Thomas Traumatology Institute works to provide mental health and trauma recovery services to children, families, and the community. Our business is built on trust and interpersonal relationships; we rely on our community. We’re dedicated to provide the best care possible for families in need. Every day we see families in crisis, and while we provide professional support, there are many times when our clients need a family member to be there for them or time off to care for themselves. As a small business owner and a mental health specialist, I strongly support a paid family and medical leave social insurance program.