Tuesday, February 5, 2008

It takes a village to raise a child

A friend last night, who is a Mum of one teenager and the same age as myself, showed me a card she'd sent her then eleven-year old daughter when she was on an overseas school trip . She had drawn all the people in her daughter's life on the card in stick figure form to show her daughter how many people loved her. She said she did this to emphasise that despite being an only child, she had many family members and friends who missed her back home.

I guess I have been reassured over the last few days that our children's lives can be as rich as we choose to make them. By surrounding children with a variety of positive role models, they have the chance to learn more about life than any two parents could ever hope to teach them. Siblings bring a lot to family life but should one not enter the equation for us, then I think we will be inspired to socialise our daughter creatively, perhaps broadening her horizons in ways we may not have if she did have a sibling.

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