It Takes a Village

One of the phrases I heard seemingly throughout my whole life is that "it takes a village to raise a child".

I never wanted it to take a village to raise my child. I am (was) a stay-at-home mom. I worked part time but made sure it was during naps and after bedtime primarily. Yes, maybe I needed a baby-sitter or grandparent to step in from time to time but don't all parents? That's not a "village" that's just a little help from time to time.

All of that has changed since G died. I need a village.

I need people who can play with him so I can get just the minimum tasks done. I need help from my parents to do his homeschooling. I need people to bring us meals. I need family and friends to make his birthday and other hard holidays special.

He needs to be rooted in a bigger family - the family of cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents that love him. He needs the even bigger family - the family of God - the brothers and sisters that are his in Christ if he follows Jesus. He has no siblings, his father is in Heaven. He needs men to help shape and guide him as a boy. He needs direction on how to wear his ball cap the cool way - not the way his mom did 20 years ago.

It is humbling how dependent I am on others - how little I can do on my own. It is humbling to know that I cannot meet all of my sons needs. He needs me. But he needs more than me. And it is going to take a village to fill in the hole left when G died. All the friends and family in the world cannot make up for the loss of his daddy. But little by little they can help fill a role here or there that is missing now. My son doesn't have to do life alone and neither do I.