 Maternity leave has been a hot topic recently, expanding from 6 to 18 weeks. Unfortunately, there are sailors who want to be parents, but can't for one reason or another. For those sailors, adoption is their chance to experience parenthood. Did you know the Navy authorizes up to 21 days of temporary additional duty for service members adopting a child? Sailors can use this duty in conjunction with leave, but it's subject to the operational requirements of their command. For dual military families, only one service member is entitled to this time away. After a successful adoption, one service member will be exempt from duty away from home for four months. It's the sailor's obligation to plan a pregnancy or adoption and balance family and military requirements. To learn more about this policy, read OpNav Instruction 6000.1 Charlie.