When I was growing up, one often heard the very familiar phrase "It takes a village to raise a child.
" In the small southern town where I grew up, it really did nearly take the whole town to nurture small children.
There was always an elderly woman or two from the neighborhood whose self proclaimed duty it was to monitor the activity of the neighborhood children.
If the children behaved inappropriately, they (elderly women) did not hesitate to correct them.
They not only corrected the kids, but very often threatened to report any misbehavior to their parents.
In the neighborhood where I grew up, more often than not, both parents worked.
The parents either left an older sibling in charge of the younger ones until they returned, or trusted the watchful eyes of the elderly neighbor to help keep the kids in line.
In either case, there was not much margin for error.
What the one missed, the other would surely catch.
In that way, children had to adhere to strict standards of behavior from the time they got up until it was bedtime.
There were also the elementary and Sunday School teachers who had full authority from parents to discipline the children if they ever needed it.
There was the Pastor at church as well as other older people from the neighborhood who looked out for our best interests.
There was even gentle correction from our friends and other family members.
Every one in the neighborhood had a hand in helping to nurture a child.
Though at the time it seemed so cruel to have so many different people meddling in a child's life, I realized much later that there was much love and concern for the children.
It was not until I had reached early adulthood that I began to appreciate all the time that was taken to steer me in the right direction.
Because the children of the neighborhood were favored with so many mentors, a child enjoyed a greater freedom.
Many were the days that my friends and I were told what areas we could roam and enjoyed the luxury of going from one child's home to another without having to obtain additional permissions.
These areas always included playgrounds and empty lots.
Our toys were our imaginations.
It is my opinion that many good values were instilled in us by all those who were concerned for our well being.
As a direct result of all the nurturing we got, most of us turned out to be good solid citizens, productive in our own right.
Had it not been for the entire village looking out for us, some of us would surely have fallen by the wayside.
The children of today seem not to have enjoyed the attentiveness that we had, and do not seem to possess the same values.
Today's child is less respectful to others.
The school dropout rate is much higher than when I grew up, and the children seem to be more idle and non-productive.
It just seems as though society has been less kind to today's child than when I was a youth.
There is more pressure to do the things that were once unacceptable.
I cannot state with a certainty that there is a lack of nurturing in the home, but I can say for sure that we have become a neighborhood of individuals whose only pursuit is self gratification.
If I could offer any advice at all to young parents, it would be to start instilling solid values in your child at the earliest possible age.
Nurturing your child at home will go a long way toward spreading to the neighborhood.
Your child's positive influence on another child could very well mean the difference between that other child growing up to be a productive citizen, rather than one who is in and out of the penal system.
While you are at it, take a moment to look out for the wellbeing of your neighbor's child.
You see, it still takes the whole village to raise a child.