Workplace flexibility should be a human thing, not a parent thing
I fully support parents having flexibility for school pickups, sick kids, all of it. That makes complete sense to me and I'd never argue against it.
But as a childfree person I've genuinely started to wonder why we haven't extended that logic to all adults living full human lives.
Your elderly parent needs you for a medical appointment? You should be able to flex your hours without lying or burning leave. Your pet is seriously ill and needs a vet trip? Same. A close friend is going through a crisis and needs support? Same. You want to clock in an hour later because you have a morning routine that keeps you mentally well and functional? Same.
The progressive case for parental flexibility is fundamentally about recognising that people have lives outside of work that make them more sustainable employees, not less. That logic doesn't stop at "has children."
And the fact that a lot of us have to lie or carefully frame things just to access basic consideration at work says something uncomfortable about how we still implicitly rank whose life obligations count as legitimate. Pets aren't "real" family. Friends aren't "real" dependents. Your mental health routine isn't a "real" reason to start late.
Adulting without kids isn't adulting-lite. We have beloved animals, aging relatives, friendships, bodies and mental health to tend to as well.
Flexibility should be a human thing, not a parent thing.