As cliche and overused as the old proverb, “it takes a village” may sound to some, I still believe it to be true.
Raising kids is hard enough when it’s just two parents. The same goes for accomplishing a goal that will benefit an organization or community. Parents have to work together to raise good humans, while people in an organization must cooperate to achieve a goal to benefit the whole.
I wasn’t young when I had my first of two kids. The term “geriatric pregnancy” was thrown around more than once. That outdated term refers to a woman who is more than 35 when she’s pregnant. I was a few years younger than that when my first came, so I’d like to think I had a village around me established compared to someone in their 20s.
Once the babies made their way home, I was quickly humbled. Things I thought I knew, I didn’t. Good thing, my mom was at our beck and call. She was all about dropping what she was doing and heading over to help. I remember the first time Shaun woke up with a raging fever and everything I tried wasn’t working. Her calm and cool demeanor when she arrived at the door helped me to rein in my emotions. She, after all, had raised three girls. She was my village, whether she liked it or not.
Later on, when the boys made it to school and found their friends and activities, we depended on those folks to keep things running smoothly. I’m not one to ask for help very often, but when we need it, they came running. Same way with 4-H and showing livestock. When the boys started showing goats, we knew nothing. Eight years later, people are asking us for advice, and I’m happy to be their village when it comes to show goats.
More than once at this year’s county fair I had another parent or grandparent tell me how impressed with my kids they were—one said they looked him in the eye and shook his hand. However, there was one exception though. And he deserved to feel the way he did. He had to rein in my youngest who was struggling with a goat he didn’t particularly care for during round-robin showmanship.
Both of them were humbled in the species they had qualified in during round robin. I told this man thank you for getting on to him as he needed it. I suspect other parents might not have liked someone schooling their kid.
I’ve been involved in a couple organizations and a member of the board of directors for a few more. I often had to leave my thoughts and feelings at the door and try to help decipher what the best course of action was for that particular group. There was even a time when I knew the time of me helping a group had come to an end. I’d reached what I could give to it, and even though I worried the association wouldn’t continue if I quit, I knew it would force other members to step up. Thankfully, the group is still going strong and growing.
I’m currently on a committee that’s part of the local fair board, and even though I’m not the best at gathering sponsors, I’ve still found a way to be involved by helping with social media, helping organize our gala event and designing the program. I’ve been impressed with how the members have pulled together and poured their enthusiasm into it. Competing with all the other activities kids can get involved in can be tiring, especially when sports have such a stranglehold on kids. You have to have a special kind of kid that wants to stick with showing livestock.
The same goes for the folks that are on these kinds of boards—they need a village too. School boards, fair boards, county and elected officials, are in the same boat. It’s a challenge to please everyone. If you need a village, you have to be a part of one first. Get involved. Share your thoughts and opinions respectfully and help your community. You don’t always have to be right to be involved.
Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].
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