Leave is tied to having children because having children means you can&#x27;t walk away or take a break.  The time off with your child isn&#x27;t time you get to choose - instead, you&#x27;re at the beck and call of a helpless human who relies on you for everything.<p>In your example, if you were sick or didn&#x27;t feel like it for the day, you could just choose not to go in.  You simply don&#x27;t get that choice with kids.