It Takes A Village: Building A Village

So I shared in a prior post my reason for believing the old African Proverb of It Takes A Village to Raise a Child, and the importance of having people in your village that have the same morals and values as you do to help steer your child in the way you want them to grow. Of course building a village is easier said then done. We all have plenty of friends or rather we all have plenty of acquaintences - but when you take a step back and look at them how many of them actually believe what you believe, value what you value, and more importantly if you needed someone to care for your kids are they someone that you would around them for a day, a week, or long term?

Finding the people to fill your "village" isn't an easy task. I've been fortunate and have found two wonderful families to join me. Both families have similar values, morals and lifestyles to that of my family. I trust and love both of these families with all of my heart and would gladly step up to the plate to help them out as I know they would do the same for me.

A few weeks ago myself and the other "lady villagers" met up for dinner. I am the common bond between all of us so I wanted to make sure that we all had a chance to sit down together for a much deserved night out and for the other two ladies to meet each other. We had a great night out to dinner and really enjoyed each others company. We even planned a future meet-up for the mommies and daughters in December.  Here is a shot of us after dinner - that's me in the middle.

So now we have two families in our village but I don't want us to stop there. It is very important for both parents and children to have other people in their lives to help guide us through this crazy life. Children should have adults outside of the family that they look up to and can look to for advice and it is important that those adults in their lives share your views on religion, right and wrong and most everything else to ensure that you child gets the message. It's also important for the adults in the families to have people that can help reassure them that no you aren't crazy for going against society in what you want for yourself and your family. A sounding board for ideas and someone to talk to on the days that life seems to get the best of you.  So going forward we are looking for more families to join our village and more ways for our village to interact on a regular basis and for our families to all make those connections.

Do you have a village? What are the morals and values of the people that you want around you and your family? Have you ever taken a look at the relationships you have and wondered if they are good for you and provide growth for you or if they are toxic to you and your family? You don't get a second chance - so you may want to take inventory of those around you and move your life in the direction you want it to go.

As for me and my village we Love God, We know and believe that Jesus is our Savior, We love our families and they come first, we love our friends and will do anything for them, we love to help out both friends and strangers in any way we can.

Until Next Time -
Samantha