Community

Last night we had a big party at our house.  It was fun.  We also had another, tamer party at my parents' next door.  At our house, the kids signed yearbooks and watched a DVD of the play they did last year (yes, I know, yearbook parties are usually at the END of the school year... long story.)  At my parents' house we had a baby shower for one of the moms in our homeschool co-op group.  It was wonderful to get a bunch of us together and just talk and visit!  It enabled one of the mothers to meet her son's teachers for the first time.  It allowed all of us to just sit around and talk about things that weren't necessarily related to classes.  We got to know each other better - which is always good for a community.  And the dads all hung out next door talking and keeping track of the kids.

A couple days ago a friend used the phrase, "It takes a village," in reference to raising her son.  I've always disliked that phrase.  I believe it is a parent's responsibility to raise their children, not a village.  Village in some way infers an unrelated group of people that just happen to be in the same vicinity... at least to me.  A community, on the other hand, is a group of people that come together for a specific purpose to build relationships for a common cause.  Our homeschool co-op has a goal of supporting the family as the center of learning.  I like this way of thinking so much better.  It keeps the responsibility where it should be.  If a village, school, government, etc. is going to raise your child, it can be easy to just step back and not worry about doing it yourself.  And when your child comes home doing and thinking and saying things you don't agree with, it is someone elses fault.  No, I'll stick with community, thank you.  Keep your village.