THE VILLAGE (part 1…the children)
It takes a village
to raise a child.
- African proverb
I have always loved this quote. When I was raising my four children, I
depended so much on the kindness of others.
At the point in my life I am referring to, I was a single mom and my
daughters were 3 and 5, my sons 7 and 8.
I was also the owner of a busy hair salon, while my oldest three
children attended one of the local elementary schools about 5 blocks from my
business. In a small community where my
customers were often my friends, fellow soccer moms, and even surrogate
grandparents, we looked out for each other.
Now here is the thing. There were two cross walks between the school
and my business and the rule was, that the boys were to pick up their 5-year-old
sister from kindergarten and the three of them were to walk to my shop. The “condition”… they had to hold their
sisters hand across the streets.
About 5 minutes before they were due to arrive, my salon door opened
and one of my customers stuck her head in and said, “hey, Janet….I knew you
would want to know, I just drove through town and I noticed that the boys weren’t
holding their sisters hand at the crosswalk”.
I yelled thanks….and then I waited (as did my customers…lol).
A few minutes passed and two exuberant boys and a very quiet little
girl came in the shop. I smiled, asked how school was …and then…I wrinkled my
nose and said hmmmm. “You know boys…I
just had a vision.” Their eyes got wide. “Hmmm, I continue...yes, it is coming to me.
It is a little bird and it is telling me something.”
Now just a quick interjection. That was over 20 years ago and I still
smile at the memory of their wide eyes. But I continue.
“This little bird is showing me that when you crossed the streets
today, you were not holding your sister’s hand.”
The two did have the decency to look guilty and with downcast eyes,
because after all they were in the middle of my hair salon (a regular occurrence
but never the less, they had an audience).
The older one spoke up, “how did you know?”.
I paused for effect. “Because
children...mother’s know EVERYTHING!
A couple of mumbled, but sincere apologies came forward. I tell you though. The suppressed smiles on mine and my customer’s
faces were difficult as we took in these two boys contrite faces. Of course, they promised it would never
happen again (oh, I am sure it did), but I accepted their apologies and then
gave them their after-school treat money where they rushed happily out the door
to the Greek restaurant next door where surrogate grandma and grandpa fed them “meatball
soup and pita’s” (love, hugs and ruffled hair included).
Those years, so long ago, yet feel like yesterday, would have been so
much more difficult if I hadn’t had my “village”. The African proverb that “it
takes a village to raise a child”, couldn’t be more true. For those of us, who
have had the privilege of being part of a community that takes care of each
other, we are indeed blessed.
I write this because, as I am going to write about in part 2, I lost
sight of the value of the “village” for a few years, but I have now renewed that
value. I live in a different city and my
wonderful children are grown and I have six beautiful grandchildren. Unfortunately,
we don’t live in the same place, but thank heavens for Skype.
Today, this story has become a bit of a “folklore tale” in our family. However, I just wait patiently for the day
when one of my son’s or daughter’s tells one of their children, that… “mother’s
(or father’s), just know everything”….lol.
Dedicated to my amazing
grown children and their spouses, James (Laura), Stephen (Katie), Kaitalyne (Aaron), Danielle (Samual), and my six beautiful
grandchildren; Liam, Rylee, Zackary, Layla, Benjamin, and Adelyne (all of whom
I fondly call my “Princes and Princesses”.
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