It takes a village to raise a… Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard this phrase many times, but seriously, where is it?
I’ve raised my three kids without one. “Hard” is not even the word to use here. Exhausting mentally, and emotionally. Lonely, many nights I sat and cried my eyes out because of how hard it was and how I couldn’t do it anymore.
I’m married to a man who has a demanding career and manages his firm. He is a great help while he’s home; however, many days I found that it was just me and the kids, and I almost feel like I can’t complain when there are slews of single moms doing it every day. No help, no village, no partner.
I’ve had the idea of creating Our Village since I had my first child in the middle of a snowstorm. Here we are, nine years later, with Our Village in full fruition. I had no idea the concept would be taken so quickly, but I realize it is a much-needed thing for our community of parents.
I’m a millennial, born in the 80’s, and raised in the 90’s. I never felt like it was “hard” for our parents to raise us. We spent our afternoons and weekends playing outside with the neighborhood kids, we drank from the water hose, and mom was mostly home because Dad’s income was sufficient to cover all expenses. Our aunts and neighbors stepped in when needed, and we never felt like anything was missing. What has happened since then? Our economy, society, and most likely, technology.
We cannot survive with just one income anymore. Mom and Dad both work or have a side hustle of some kind. That leaves out the neighbors and aunties stepping in as well, because, of course, they have to work too. Heck, even Grandma has to work now too.
We can’t let our kids play outside without being outside with a full watch, because being able to play outside is no longer safe. We can’t even drink out of the water hose anymore. Also, are there any more kids that play outside? Or is everyone inside playing on tablets and video games nowadays? Don’t forget the pandemic. That one year, we were all stuck at home with our kids going insane. Yep, we sure did.
I’m sure there are many more reasons as to why our parents don’t have it as easy as our parents did, but it doesn’t matter. The fact is, we are lacking the help we need to raise our kids. There was a study done by Motherly in 2022, found that 51% of moms reported they get one hour to themselves per day, while 49% of moms reported they were currently in therapy. I know the toll motherhood takes on us. It’s demanding and lonely.
I aim to offer all parents the village they need with the upcoming launch of Our Village app in April 2024. we have had every kind of parent in mind while cultivating the features of the app, including single moms and dads, foster parents and step-parents, and grandparents raising grandchildren. I developed the app with passion and intention to help all of us find ease, comfort, and peace of mind, knowing that we have a community to call upon when we need help. My hope is to help us all unite and connect for the betterment of our children and the well-being of our families. We all have the same goals while raising our families: safety, health, and happiness. So let’s do this together as Team Parents, as the village it takes to raise a child. Check our services to learn more about our village app
