"It takes a village to raise a child" is one of my favorite quotes! As a single mom, I live this quote almost every day. Even if I didn't have to work, getting my kids where they need to be is almost impossible. With three kids all involved in different activities, one of them is always coming or going. There are some days where they all have to be somewhere different at the same time. Some nights, we don't eat dinner until 8pm...when they are all home from their various activities.
I typically do not like asking for help, as it makes me feel "weak". However, rides are something that I have never seemed to have a problem asking for. Honestly, I would never make it if I didn't rely on the help of friends.
A dear (very wise!) friend recently told my daughter that "Moms just help out when needed. We don't keep track or look at it as a favor." It was just what I needed to hear right when I needed to hear it!
I recently had surgery on my foot. I knew things were going to be tough for a while, but I honestly had no idea how hard they were going to be or for how long. I anticipated being back to work (at least part-time) and back to a somewhat regular schedule after 2 weeks. This Friday, it will be 7 weeks since my surgery. Yesterday was the first day I was able to walk without crutches. Needless to say, things did not go as planned.
So, for the past 6 weeks, I have been relying heavily on friends and family to help cart my kids around. My neighbor brought my oldest two to school for almost 6 weeks. My youngest daughter's swim coach got her off the bus at her house and brought her to swim practice. Another friend brought her home. My son's boss brought him home after work. My other daughter got rides to Youth Group, Confirmation and swim meets from yet another friend.
I could never have done it by myself. Even today, I struggle. It takes me longer than usual to get to the car. There have been times I have sat in the car for 20 minutes in my driveway waiting for the next child to chauffeur around. Usually, I would use those 20 minutes to change a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher. But, it takes me that long just to get up the stairs into the house, so I just wait. The good part about that is that I read two books during my "waiting". LOL
I am in the process of getting thank you cards/gifts together for those that really went above and beyond to help me. Not because they expect it or because I think I owe them. Simply because I want them to know how much I appreciate them. Without my village, I would have been lost. It's so nice to be part of a village...
Who is your village?
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