

You are not missing something, they are.
The first couple of years are the most important for a child’s development. The more you can be there for your kid, the better. And sharing the load of child rearing will increase the bond between you and your spouse. It’s disgusting to see American men reduce “supporting the family” to just bringing home money. Your family needs so much more than that!
I applaud you for taking paternity leave. Most of the criticism towards you is probably a mixture of ignorance and jealously. Take your 12 weeks and come back with a smile on your face and brag how awesome that time was - because it will be.
For comparison: I live in Austria, childcare leave can last from a year to two years and parents can split it 18mo/6mo for instance. Add to that 8 weeks of mandatory “birth time protection” before and after the predicted birth date where mothers aren’t allowed to work by law but receive full salary. I WISH my wife and I could have split our maternity/paternity leave but it didn’t work out financially back then.
I cared for the characters. There was some real emotion going on. Diving with Judy with “Pyramid Song” playing felt special. The Panam tank mind sync scene was bizarre but memorable because of it. The whole V vs Johnny Silverhand mind war makes you think about what really makes you you. The taxi AI side quest was quirky and fun.
And there is one part of Night City that’s straight up an hommage to the iconic Ghost in the Shell scene where they stand in a semi flooded part of the city. Made me nostalgic.
It’s not really an open world RPG though. It’s more story driven and when the stories are told, well… not much else to do.