I'm a child free person as well. I would really love to see tech companies offer short sabbatical periods. Knowing the people in the tech community, that time would almost certainly be put to good use: learning new skills, and finishing up backlogged personal projects.

Sabbatical could be a benefit that kicks in after several years, and any parental leave before that time would just be subtracted.

I think its a bit of selfish to look it as some form of vacation and it is not fair. I respect people for their choice of having and not having kids, but when you are responsible for another human being the context changes, life changes. I understand where you are coming from, but this will open a Pandora box, there is a difference between an employee who chose to have 3 children vs 1. So can the employee with only one maternity leave ask for something extra?