by Veronica Bright

Created on: January 18, 2008   Last Updated: June 22, 2008

"It takes a village to raise a child." This philosophy is an ancient African proverb that happened to have been quoted by Hillary Rodham Clinton in her book "It takes a Village." I would like to examine the context of the original phrase compared with Ms. Clinton's view.

Before we scoot our children out into the world, we must first consider in what village we live! In ancient Africa, the "village" was an intertwined community. Each member of the village would take on the responsibility of the entire group. Children roamed freely from household to household. Adults would parent not only their own children, but all.

The phrase meant just what it said.

When Hillary Clinton quoted it, I believe her intent was;"it takes a Government to raise a child." Senator Clinton is very much a "Government Run" politician. She believes in Government run health care, child care, and almost everything else. Although I believe the ideal is correct, there is a major flaw in her concept of the powers behind it. The beliefs behind Senator Clinton's quote are very different from the original. While it is an accepted ideal that we would all watch out for each other and the children, I think Ms. Clinton would have this bound by laws.

To justify the Clinton use of the phrase would be like taking the quote "God helps those who help themselves," and construing it to mean it's acceptable to steal. No, it's not acceptable to steal, nor is it acceptable for the Government to control every aspect of our lives.

Before we can attempt to allow a village to raise a child, we must change what our villages have become. To some extent, we already allow our Government to be "the village." We must send our children to school, (unless you are one of the few that home-schools.) To adhere to the true meaning of the original quote is possible, although unlikely.

The scope of your village will differ dramatically. I once lived in a very small community. It was a culture shock in the beginning! My child would go out to play, and if she did anything of concern, I could always count on a neighbor calling and telling me about it. By the same token, if another child misbehaved, their parents expected a phone call. So such villages, to an extent, do exist. If you live in a big city, the approach must be very different.

Most of us in large cities come to know at least one or more of our neighbors. In some neighborhoods, however, this option is even unsafe. If you are lucky enough to befriend some of your neighbors, they become, in essence, your "village." Even in this instance we must find out which villagers our children should avoid. The term "village" must be redefined. Not everyone in your community will be a part of your village.

Map out your village and teach it to your child. They must know to whom they can turn, and how to do so. There may be vast areas in your community that are not a part of your village. Teach this to your child as well. If it does indeed take a village to raise a child, it is up to you to build this village in your community. You must decide the boundaries of your village. You have to decide for the sake of your children who, exactly the villagers are. Government should not do this. We may not be able to change society, but we do have the ability to change how we behave and react. We have the ability to decide where our village is and who its members are. We are, in fact, responsible for the very village which helps us raise our children.

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