Village Culture

It takes a village.

Raising a child is not just the work of the parents. It’s the work of a village. 

The older my son gets, the more I understand this concept. 

Parents need help from their community. What I’ve realized more recently is that they create and set the culture of the “village” around their child. 

Yes, that can look like bigger things such as what your child eats, who they spend time with, how much interaction they have with screens, etc etc.

But it can also show up in little ways.

When Liam was a few days old, we had pictures taken for the grandparents (and us) since no one could visit right away with the pandemic happening. Our photographer referred to Liam as the squishy boy.

The name stuck.

We use it often, to the point where he hears “squish” or “da squish” more than his given name. 

Others have started calling him “squish” as well. Some have adapted it to “squishy.”

It warms my heart every time.

What a small yet profound example of creating culture. 

For those of you with kids (or just friends), what does the culture of the village around you look like? Is there anything you need to change or add?