FAMILY SUPPORT:
Sweden encourages couples like the Blandfords to procreate
When Ester Blandford was born, 18 months ago, the Swedish state did all it could to ease her way into the world and encourage her parents to have even more kids. Her mother, Therese, 29, a children's librarian in the small southern town of Nyhamnsläge, took 15 months off work, most of it at 80% pay, to care for the baby, her first child. She now works part-time. Ester's dad, Christian, also 29, a physical therapist, stays home one day a week to help out. He too gets 80% pay from the state for the day spent with his daughter....
