We’ve all at one point or another been exposed to the phrase ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and many believe that in a more restrictive 18th century western image, where everyone can assist, but you know that at the core is a traditional heterosexual relationship where the mother does the majority of the work, which doesn’t reflect anything of 21st Century humanity.
When we think of a village, of a community raising a child, it should be all in, it should be able to cater for a billion different variations of child rearing and parenting as there are personalities of the children involved.
If it’s a same sex household, if both parents work, if one parent works, if both parents are artists, if the parents are support crew who can end up called out at any hour of the night, if the parents just need some time together and for someone to take care of their little darling who is reaching nightmare status for people who have suddenly realised they haven’t had a break in such along time.
Children are the beginnings of human beings who can go on to be anything, and I mean anything, possible in this world.
Why wouldn’t we, as a species, want to do everything we can to help them be the truest version of themselves they can be?
And we are not talking the simple idea of daycare that most countries have evolved where you pay an arm and a leg for a group of mostly young women to take care of your children after you have driven your kids there for you to pick them up later.
We are talking integrated care facilities established walking distance from your home, that are flexible for your needs, where we find people who love kids, love taking care of kids, and are available all hours of the day for whatever needs you require.
And that includes finding people to look over your kids as they sleep during the night and you do what you need to do, work or personal, so everyone can get to do what they need to do.
Parenting is never simple, never easy, and anyone who knows this, who cares about this, would want to help.
So as community shouldn’t we do whatever we can, joined together as one, to ensure every next generation gets all the love, care, and support they need to become who they are going to be.
Marissa Klotzbucher - Thoughts and Comments for Public Consumption