It would be wonderful for every pregnant woman to walk the streets of LA with the occasional paparazzi shot, with no job and no obligations to go to class and take exams than, well, work a butt off a job and go to school. This is harsh, and go bite my head off for this, but I seriously miss the days when Lionel was more famous than her. Go ahead and take leave darling but that miniscule 82 minutes in jail for her crime is absolutely dreadful.

I agree with Danica Simpson and gargoylegurl.
Nicole took a leave of absence. So what?
She has time to go to the classes later. It’s not a big deal.

I totally agree with Danica S’s comment, well said!

Maybe the instructors are trying to protect themselves. After all she is 9 months pregnant. what if she goes into labor in class. so what if she took time off, its not like they said never mind, don’t complete the course or something like that.
Also she was ordered by the court to take a 4 weeks course but she signed up for an 18 month course. so if she was looking for a easy way out, she would have.
I’m really disappointed in people criticizing her for accepting the option {not requesting} to take a leave of absence. Every woman knows that pregnancy is different for everyone. they carry different and gain weight differently and some are on bed rest after 6 months. so really just another reason to criticize Nicole. I’m sick of the notion. Geez, leave the girl alone.

I might have an issue with it if she asked, but they offered. As someone who worked through their last few weeks, I would have LOVED if someone would have just said, ‘Go home and make up the work after the baby’s born.’

Nicole’s only got 3 or 4 weeks left in her pregnancy, I’m sure she’s happy to be relieved of the responsibility of the class for a bit. If it was me, I would be.

I think the leave of absence is fine. I can’t imagine how dangerous it is to be chased by the paparazzi – let alone being chased while heavily pregnant. It’s just not safe at this stage, in my opinion. We can’t judge her based on our experiences – she’s clearly living a different life, we all are. Plus, I think Nicole has demonstrated that she’s dedicated to getting her life back on track and doing her time, so it’s not like she’s trying to get out of anything. She’ll finish off the classes.

This is kind of funny. I really don’t mean to pass judgement; I certainly can’t relate to the drama of having paparazzi following me everywhere. I’m sure it is tiring, even when you aren’t pregnant. But I find it a little funny b/c we see pics of her out and about all the time – having lunch, shopping, at benefits etc. Anyway – whatever works for her. I don’t think she’s getting special treatment, I’m sure pregnant women get a lot of little leeways that they certainly deserve. The fact that it is just a class to sit through though is a bit humorous.

gee.. im so torn on this. While i can totally understand her being exhausted with the paps chasing her, i attended COLLEGE until the day before I had my first son, and took a 4 hour long standing (no breaks) state board exam at 37 weeks, and my second son was born later that week.
to each their own I guess…..

If the class instructor did offer her this, I think she was right to take it. Also if she is very tired, I doubt she would be able to concentrate and learn much from the classes. Some women are full of energy even into very late pregnancy, others are not, so you can’t judge her by someone else’s experience.

I think Nicole getting a leave of absence is ridiculous. How much energy or effort does it take to sit in a class and absorb the information that is being related to you. Exhausted? Nicole Richie does not have a job; she has no reason to be or feel exhausted. Yes she is pregnant, but so are millions of other women who manage to go to work every day. I know that my mom was on her feet working when she went into labor with me. Nicole should just do the classes and get it over with so when her baby comes she does not have to worry about the classes.