The old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child is a good one to follow, said Michael McCoy, executive director of Richmonds Touchstone Family Place whose mission is to preserve and enhance family relationships.
But he is bringing the concept a little closer to home, suggesting increased exposure to family, extended or otherwise, in todays society of blended and single parent families, is also an important aspect.
McCoy added he believes there is no such thing as a single parent.
It takes two to make a child, so a child always has two parents, he said, adding, Were moving back, or becoming more aware that biological parents of a child, both are important, and you cant exclude one for the benefit of the other.
As an example of what lengths some families are taking to remain in contact if they do undergo some form of change, McCoy referred to a story he read about a divorced couple who decided to keep their co-parenting efforts at the forefront by moving into homes beside each other.
And theres a hallway connecting the two houses, so the kids are free to move back and forth, he said.
And when it comes to cementing the value of extended family connections, McCoy said it is especially important to include grandparents, adding that up until the past two decades that generation played a significant role in childrens lives.
I think the stat in Canada is that 35 per cent of Canadian grandparents rarely, if ever, see their grandchildren. So, theres an absolute need for children in life to have those touch points, touchstones, if you will, where they can go and feel safe.
If that type of system is not created where extended family is present, McCoy said children, as well as parents risk being isolated.
We see a lot of that where lone parents dont have anyone to bounce anything off someone, and situations can escalate.
In those cases, parents need to look to the larger community for support.
