Where is the Village?

They say “It takes a village” to raise a family, but sometimes I feel like my village isn’t as populated as most people’s. It’s probably something I wouldn’t notice as much if it weren’t for social media, but I find myself sometimes longing for the life that others get to experience. 

We live 3 hours away from my parents, and 18 hours away from my husband’s family. To be honest, there are days that I am super jealous of people whose kids have relationships with their aunts, uncles, and cousins, and they see their grandparents on a regular basis. There are days that I wonder what it would be like if things were just a little bit different. What would it be like if I could send my kids to grandma’s for a night? Would I feel a little more rested? I often wish my children had aunts and uncles who stopped by to see them. I find myself longing for those relationships for my kids, but that just isn’t the case for my family.

I have to remind myself that my “village” does not consist of relatives, but it does consist of friends. It means it may be a little harder to ask for help when I need it, because the people I ask are not bound by family obligation. However, it also means the people who are in my life have chosen to be. They choose to love on my kids, and they choose to lend us a hand when we need it.

So instead of being sad at the village we don’t live in, I will choose to be grateful for the one that we have. It may not look like everyone else’s, but it’s still filled with friends and is overflowing with love. 

Wendy is a mother of four who has found her own village in central Illinois where she blogs at TheMessyMom.net.