Parenting Without a Village

When you become a parent, there is a lot of conversation about having a “village”. The age-old saying is that it takes a village to raise a child. Professionals ask about your support network, and it can feel as though everyone has a safety net around them – people to help when they need support, whether that’s caring for their children or caring for themselves, from the day they bring a baby into the world or welcome a child into their family.

For those who don’t have a village, or whose village looks a little different, it can feel lonely in ways that are difficult to describe. You might feel like you know even less than other new parents, that you have to put more pressure on yourself to be everything, and that small challenges feel much bigger than they should.

This is not because you are doing anything wrong, and not because you aren’t trying hard enough. The load is heavier for you, and you are showing up as best you can. That is something to feel incredibly proud of, and you also deserve not to carry this alone.

This journal exists because this experience of parenting deserves a place to land. A place to feel seen, validated, and supported in all its complexity. If this is you – parenting without the village everyone talks about – you are not alone.

Pull up a chair, make yourself a warm cup of tea, and join us here each week for a few quiet minutes of not feeling so alone.

Be gentle with yourself this week.