The Village Is Gone

It’s been said: “It takes a village to raise a child.” I agree. Or at least, I would like to. But these days the village isn’t allowed to help out and it’s a real shame.

Back in the day, if a child was acting out, harming another child or just being plain disrespectful-they would get an earful…and not from their own parent-but from EVERY parent or adult in the nearby vicinity. And that was okay. Now?

“Oh no, it’s not our place.”

And why? Well, our society is afraid of children. We’re afraid of what they’ll do, who they’ll tell and what their parents will say. Or maybe that they’ll be traumatized. Honestly, I don’t quite know the reason but to me, it’s ridiculous.

I’m not saying I want anyone to lay a hand on my child. I don’t. And if someone did, I would go full Momma-bear but if my child was acting out (which I mean, they never would, because they’re angels…) and I wasn’t around-I would HOPE someone would put them in their place. It’s not okay to be rude or disrespectful or mean. It shouldn’t be okay. But somehow…it is.

Children should have a healthy fear of adults and authority figures. What do I mean by a healthy fear? Well, I don’t mean they should be shaking in their boots but I do mean children should have respect for their elders, their teachers, their parents, police, etc. Children should know that we are here to help, but that they should listen to us and know we’re looking out for their best interests. And that we will not tolerate despicable behavior.

Ask yourself this question. Why is there a bully epidemic? Is it that there are more bullies or is it that bullies know no one will stop them?

Too much reading books about parenting and not enough ACTUAL PARENTING.

A major part of the reason kids don’t have respect anymore is parents have become SOFT. This isn’t necessarily their fault. Society these days has conditioned parents to cater to their child’s every whim.

Toys, games, technology, anything they want-it’s all so readily available….at the tip of our fingers. You want it…ok, you got it…I say no. What’s wrong with a little bit of a backbone? We do not birth children so we can have more friends. It’s our job as parents to raise our children right. So they become good, respectful HUMANS. That can’t happen if they start out being whiny entitled babies.

Listen, I’m not saying I’m perfect. No one is. But doing this parenting thing yourself can be very trying at times.

Having the village to back us up would help.

About This Blogger

Seanna Thomas

Seanna Thomas is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist living in Ontario, Canada. She works as a personal consultant and freelance writer out of her home and teaches healthy lifestyle cooking classes to both adults and children in the area. She is a mother to three children, all under the age of six and her husband works as a medic in the Canadian military. Although Seanna is educated in all aspects of nutrition, she focuses on realistic clean eating with a spotlight on healthy family habits. She is known online as the "Nutritionnaire" and writes a weekly blog. She can also be found on Twitter, will soon have a Facebook page, and a website is in the works! In her downtime, she enjoys being outdoors with her family and relaxing at home with her husband and a well-deserved glass of wine.