You know that saying, “it takes a village” to raise kids. Well, I’m here to tell you, it is so unbelievably true.
Before now, I had never believed that saying. I couldn’t possibly wrap my head around the idea of needing people to help me raise my children; after all, they are my children. I know what is best for them.
What I did not realize: a village looks different for everyone. I had always assumed it would be people helping me raise my children, but really, it is people helping me.
A village is someone to talk to, someone who understands how difficult the job of being a parent actually is. a village is someone to laugh with, when you are on the edge and just feel like you want to scream, pull your hair out: or whatever that breaking point is for you. A village is someone who builds you up at your worst moments, who reminds you to go easy on yourself and that even when you feel like a failure, you are actually doing a great job. A village is someone who then gets to share in your best moments, who will cry tears of joy with you when your child finally sleeps through the night, or takes their first steps, or pushes through a hurdle that you have been tirelessly worrying about. Your village is someone who helps you to be the best parent that you can be, however that looks for you.
How do I know this, you may ask?
Well, I found my village
I found the people who have helped me to feel like I am a good mother. You may think that your village has to be people that have all the same parenting ideals as you. And while they may unite you at first, I have found that it is not what makes a true village. In my village, some of us exclusively breastfeed, some of us exclusively formula feed, some of us are somewhere in between. Some of us use disposable diapers, some of us use cloth diapers. Some of us eat all organic, some of us don’t. But, what we all have in common: we love our children and we respect each other.
Motherhood shouldn’t be about how you fed, clothed or diapered your baby. Motherhood should be about our children, about raising children that will make the world a better place. It should be about learning who we are, forgiving ourselves for our mistakes and most importantly, it should be about love. We need to love our children, love each other and love ourselves.
Let’s end the mommy wars.
Let’s end the judgment. We all know that this is the most difficult and important job in the world, so let’s be there for each other. Go, find your village, because no one should feel alone in this journey of motherhood.
Take it from the village’s biggest critic:
It really, and truly, takes a village
I would love to hear about your village, please comment below!
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And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld
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Born and raised in NY, I studied speech and language pathology at NYU. I am a stay at home mom to two beautiful children, Richard and Charlotte and wife to my wonderful husband, Rich. I have always had a deep love for learning, which has grown further since becoming a mother, I am always looking for new ways to enrich our lives. Becoming a mother changed my life, I learned compassion, caring and most importantly, true love. I hope to share the experiences of my breastfeeding, cloth diapering, babywearing, crocheting, full of love, life.
