Good idea or just a namby-pamby excuse for more time off from work? A fellow co-worker and his wife are expecting their second child soon, so he'll soon be taking a couple of weeks of paternity leave. My employer didn't offer paternity leave as an employee benefit when my babies were born (in fact, I don't believe the concept had yet been hatched). Nevertheless, I still feel entitled, and I just sent my supervisor an e-mail requesting that I be granted paternity leave retroactively. I mean, I'd like to spend some time with my babies, too...or maybe buy them a beer.