A village to raise a child

“It takes a village to raise a child”

I have heard this said often. I was told that this implied that a whole village must invest in the raising of a child and not just the biological parents. At first glance, that seems about right.

But it also takes for parents to allow for that.

And that is when recent reflections on this suggested that there might be another way of looking at this.

A child is an invitation to model the qualities that we wish for the child to gain. Instructing a child is the poorest means to nurture goodness. It is good if you want the child to immediately freeze or obey to avoid harm.
But a child is not merely exposed to the parents. This implies that the extended family needs to start modeling the qualities that they individually or collectively wish for the child to emulate.
But a child is not merely exposed to the family. This implies that the neighbours and the community needs to start modeling the qualities that they wish for the child to inculcate.
Thus, it extends to the entire village to start modeling the qualities they wish to see in every member of the next generation — not just those who have children or are expecting children. And the only way a child can be assuredly manifesting socially progressive, constructive, responsible, kind qualities is for the entire human ecosystem humming a fugue of consistent aesthetic appeal. It ceases to be about the might of many arms but the thrum of many souls. It ceases to be about the wealth of many coffers but the abundance of many hearts. It cases to be about the laws and policies governing the many and about the intent of the many that make a kind Way.

It is hence and thus, that we require a village to raise a child.