Here, Let Me Help

It's Not Quite the Same, But...

Life and society has changed over the years into something that appears quite different from the way things were just a short time ago.  Today, in order to maintain a lifestyle that both partners in the marriage have gotten used to, it is necessary for both to work.  As a result, when they have children, they don't feel they can afford to leave their jobs to stay home.  Huge amounts of money are paid to other people to raise their children while they work hard to maintain their lifestyle, and pay for daycare on top of it all.

It seems in developed countries like North America, the extended family looks like this; the couple, their kids, and their pets.  Families are scattered all over the world, so it's just the basic nucleus family doing whatever they do.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even siblings are often living in other cities in the country or in other parts of the world.  The children don't have the closeness of the extended family around to help guide them through their lives. 

Who Is Raising The Kids?

The saying, "it takes a village to raise a child" is a very true one.  But, where exactly is that village?  How many parents really want their children cared for by people they don't really know?  How many North Americans really know their neighbors, or their neighborhoods?  With all that goes on today, there are few parents who feel safe letting their children out to play in the streets.  Everything has to be well guarded and protected.  Our world has changed significantly.

The Extended Family

The idea of extended family may be back on the popularity list these days.  Interestingly enough, young parents are discovering that their parents knew a bit more than they thought they did.  The idea that the way to raise children has changed so much over the years doesn't seem to bear up under the microscope.  Certainly there have been significant changes in lifestyles and technology, but the basics will always remain.  Love each other, respect each other, keep the law, do good and be wise, get a good education, and other basic things.  The values that young parents were raised with are the same values they want to instill in their children.  However, it may be challenging to do so if the children are in a daycare where those values are not quite the same.  Books are great, life experiences can be better.

Mom, Can You Help Me?

Who better to help that those who raised the young parents?  Grandparents bring more to the family than can be measured.  They are the ones who instilled the values into the parents and they know how they did it.  Certainly methodologies may be different, but overall, the same things that worked raising those parents, works today raising their children.  There is a wealth of information available at the fingertips of those who are willing to pick up the telephone and ask their parents what they did when....