Tag: community support

  • It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Where Did It Go?

    —

    in

    I keep thinking about an old saying. The more time passes, the more it seems that the village has shrunk and money has taken its place. An old saying, and what has happened to it It takes a village to raise a child. I find myself returning to that phrase more and more. In the…

  • When Plans Fall Apart: Parenting Without Control

    —

    in

    I am not someone who handles change well. Parenthood has not cured this. It has simply meant that I have had to tolerate more of it than I ever expected. A list of things that did not go as planned Mr is two years old and has Down syndrome. We had been waiting over three…

  • Two Months In: Recovery, Chaos and a Festival Lesson

    —

    in

    Two months in as a family of five, and I finally feel like my own body again. Here is what that has meant, and what it cost us to learn it at a festival four hours from home. Too much to write, too little time B turned two months old a few days ago. It…

  • Meet Ms and Mr: The Siblings Behind Our Family of Five

    —

    in

    B gets most of the airtime right now for obvious reasons. But there are two other remarkable people in this house who deserve their own moment. This post is about siblings in a family of five. Mr: the boy they said wouldn’t Mr is two years and five months old. He has Down syndrome. When…

  • One Month as a Family of Five: The Real and the Raw

    —

    in

    B is thriving, the love is real, and the help has been scarce. An honest update from one month as a family of five. One month in One month as a family of five. I keep saying it to myself to make it feel real. B is one month old and he is, without question,…

  • Three Weeks as a Family of Five: Chaos, Love and Getting Through

    —

    in

    Nobody tells you that survival mode can also be full of joy. That you can be completely overwhelmed and completely in love at the same time. Here is what our first three weeks as a family of five really looked like. Home on day four We left the hospital on day four. B was nursing…

  • Where Is the Help? Reflections on Community, Kindness, and Raising a Family

    —

    in

    The Idea of Community People often say that it takes a village to raise a child. In theory, there should be a sense of community between people. Neighbours supporting each other, families helping one another, and parents not having to face everything alone. But honestly, I often wonder where that village actually is. Sometimes it…