Happy Mother's Day, John! I hope you're enjoying celebrating the moms and mother figures in your life! Today, I’m celebrating all of those in my life, especially my incredible wife, Aly.

Aly and I found out we were going to be parents during my first congressional campaign. I didn't know my father growing up, so I promised to be the dad my kids deserved – and for me that meant being there from day one. And I also made a commitment to Aly that I would be an equal partner in raising our family.

Being raised by a single mother, I saw every single day how hard my mom had to work to raise me. And as a kid, spending time with my mom was the most important thing to me – my mom was my world.

So when our first son was born, I became the first congressman to take parental leave. I took two weeks when my first was born and a month when we welcomed his little brother. It’s something I believe every parent should be able to do, and we need federal action to ensure that. That's part of why I'm running for Senate, so today, I'm asking you to join me in this fight: Will you sign my petition to support paid parental leave for all Americans? →

I've thought about the sacrifices parents make my whole life.

I spent a lot of time at the YMCA growing up, and I had coaches, teachers, friends and family who took me in – because my mom worked hard, sometimes two jobs, to support us. They kept me on the right track and provided the community my mom needed to raise me.

But that took a lot of tough decisions that working parents have to make around balancing child care and providing for their children. And 1 in 4 moms returns to work just two weeks after giving birth. It's both shocking and sad at the same time. And it’s far past time we make a change.

That’s why paid parental leave is so important to me. Being able to spend time at home as a family, taking care of new little ones shouldn’t be a luxury for some – it should be the standard. So please, join me in supporting paid parental leave by signing my petition now →

Change happens when we all work together.

Colin Allred