I was on the blog "Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers" today (I love the sarcasm that drips from the title) and she had a quote on her header that read "Hilary Clinton says it takes a village to raise a child. Well I've seen the village and I don't want it raising my child." My sentiments exactly...
*Now, I'll take a break here to say this post in no way is aimed at Clinton...I don't agree with her, but it could've been anyone saying "it takes a village..." and I'd be like "WHA?" Okay, political disclaimer aside...
Look, as Christians we look to the Bible, or we should anyway, to guide us. Parenting is especially complex and sticky and you only get one shot at each kid, right? So, does the thought that sucessfully raising a child is slapped on the population as a whole have any biblical basis? Ummmmm, not that I can find.
Children are given by God to mothers and fathers, and the responsiblity of raising and nurturing those children is solely on the parents. Now, I'm not saying others can't be involved in a child's life. I had many teachers, extended family, friends etc that influenced my life (some for the better, some for the worst). And I know in this imperfect, sin-riddled world, not every child is being raised by their biological parents, okay? But it is the parents who will stand before God and answer for how they raised their children, what they taught them and who they let be involved in their lives.
I have a very clear goal of what I want my children to become. Now, I'm not always certain how to go about getting them there, but I know the people I want them to be. And it is my job to watch who I let them spend time with and hang out with. The fact is, the village scares me a bit and I'm sure I'm not alone in this thought. Morals down the pipes, evil all around...it makes me want to build a compound and never leave, to be honest. Now, some may think I am sheltering my kids...darn right I am! They don't have to dive in the garbage can to know what's in it! I'm not gonna throw my kids in a prison cell with a bunch of violent inmates so they'll know there's people that do bad things? That would be foolish! I think you ought to shelter your kids, learn to tell when they're ready for things, use common sense and discretion for crying out loud, but ultimately...don't turn over your God given and mandated responsibility to any person or "village" out there. If you do, don't sit around later in life wondering where they went astray...fact is, it's MY responsiblity to raise my children...not society. Let's, as parents, start taking seriously the mandate laid before us! Have a blessed day!
Great post and Amen!
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