The Modern Day Village
{By: Krystle Bailey}
As the old saying goes, “it takes a village.”
Originating from an African proverb, the phrase touches on the idea that it takes many people to provide a safe and healthy environment for children to thrive in. In recent years, I’ve heard mothers longing for the barely-existent village that generations before us spoke about, wishing they had more support and love to help raise their children. With so many parents working multiple jobs, grandparents working well into their 60s, and less community culture in the neighborhood, the village has certainly changed. However, from the way I see it, it’s still very much present, with a modern twist.
The village has evolved with the times just like everything else.
As a business-owning mom of two, I see my village from a wider lens. While it is still very much comprised of people who help out with my kids in times of need, my village is made up of plenty of people who have never even met my children.
There is no way around the fact that mothering in the 21st century, when we are expected to work like we don’t have kids and raise our kids like we don’t work, often feels nearly impossible. On the best day, it can feel like our decision to start businesses while raising children must be some version of insanity, but that’s where the modern-day village comes in!
My village is made up of communities just like this one – other beautiful humans on similar journeys that help me to feel seen, heard, and “normal” (whatever that means). My village is the healthy adult friendships that remind me to maintain a sense of self and not become a martyr to motherhood. The modern-day village is made up of the souls who help keep us grounded, help us to maintain our mental and spiritual health, support our work, honor our boundaries, uplift and encourage us, and love us through the journey.
Some of my best village members have never fed, clothed, disciplined, or even hugged my kids, but they’ve loved on ME in innumerable ways. To feel supported and loved by such a community and to have people in my circle who inspire and empower me, I am able to become the most authentic and beautiful version of myself FIRST.
Every time we get on an airplane, we are reminded that in case of emergency, to place our oxygen masks over our own faces first. It’s only with our own well-being that we can serve anyone else, including our children. My village is my oxygen mask.
It has always been important to me that through my motherhood journey, I never lose my sense of self, which helps me to lead by example for my own children. I hope to show my kids that their individuality and goals are valid and important, no matter how many tiny humans you decide to bring into this wild world. The relationships that I keep help me to create and maintain that healthy balance for myself, my family, and my children.
I am honored to be a part of this community, and I look forward to actively contributing to your personal village. As a Screamer, I will be sharing my experiences, resources, and insights that have helped me to create a healthy balance as an entrepreneurial mama.
Connect with me at:
Website: www.KrystleBaileyWrites.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/thedailybailey5/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/thedailybailey5
