What is a village? Ask that question to some of those who are chanting and putting up feel good banners around your kids school. Admittedly, after hearing the, "it takes a village" coming from my liberal friends I was a bit skeptical. Then my kids school hung up a big banner in the front hallway and I'm sure that you can guess what it says. So I started to ask what exactly does the, "it takes a village" mean to you and I so far have two distinct responses to this question.
Response #1-
"With the failure of government we need for the village to step up and get more involved in children's lives". Who is the village? The "village" are family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and church family.
Response #2-
"With the failure of parents and society we need for the village to step in and take over in children's lives". Who is the village? The "village" are the schools, city councils, local, state, and federal governments.
Neither of these are direct quotes, but you get the distinction in the answers and view of this village mantra above. Of particular note to me is who is responsible for the problems facing today's youth and the who is the answer. I would do some checking with those around your children, for you could be in a crowd chanting it takes a village and be in complete disagreement with the person next to you. I think it takes a village, as it has for thousands of years, but that means we need to get the recent government intrusion in our children's lives minimized and restore the village.
Some background information on where it takes a village came from:
In January 1996 publisher Simon & Schuster released hillary Rodham-Clinton's It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us in which then First Lady Hillary espoused more the expansion of government than any true wisdom or insight into the nurturing of children. Reviews are mixed on the impact this book has made on society as a whole.
In 1994 children's author Jane Cowen-Fletcher released a book, published by Scholastic Press, titled It Takes A Village in which a young African girl searches for her younger brother, only to find the rest of the village has been watching over him as well.
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I think originally it meant that the village or town you lived in watched out for the children and assisted in their learning. If a child was caught stealing, another parent or adult was sure to reprimand. If a child was in danger, a parent or adult would protect and teach the child safety. Our "villages" have changed alot since then and everyone is afraid to offend the other. I wouldn't mind going back to those "Little House on the Prarie" days.
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