Raising Children with the Village: How Shared Parenting Breaks Generational Cycles

 Parenting was never meant to be a solo act.

And yet, so many parents today are trying to raise children in isolation—juggling work, bills, mental health, and generational wounds with barely any support. No wonder so many of us feel like we’re failing.

But it’s not failure.

It’s exhaustion.

It’s overwhelm.

It’s the absence of the village.

In traditional village life, parenting was a shared responsibility.

Grandmothers soothed colicky babies.

Uncles taught skills.

Neighbors noticed when a child was struggling—and offered care instead of judgment.

It was normal for children to be surrounded by different adults who loved them in different ways.

That kind of communal care builds security, empathy, and trust.

And it also gives parents a chance to heal while they raise their children—because no one is pouring from an empty cup.

Breaking generational cycles doesn’t happen in isolation.

It happens when we raise children differently—together.

With gentleness. With presence. With many hands holding the future, not just one.

If we want to change the world, we begin by rebuilding the village around the child.