I've wanted to write this post since the beginning of this school year when I watched a new tribe (one I'm so very lucky to be a part of) form. A group of parents, desparate to figure out middle school and all it entails, got together and formed a carpool. Yet it's so much more than a carpool. It's a "I'll take care of your kid if you take care of mine." It's a get together and discuss/commiserate how stupid middle school boys can be (for the record, we're talking about our own boys here). It's the type of tribe that provides support not just for the kids, but for each other as well. Not only is it supportive, it's caring, appreciative, helpful, and positive.
In a matter of hours, my husband and I will board a plane bound for the mountains. It was kind of a last minute trip (and by last minute, I mean one that wasn't thought of a year in advance) that is only possible because of our support system. We have more than enough people stepping in for us while we're gone--family and friends who are willing to help, take on our schedule, and dig in. Even as I leave my minis in the midst of an influenza outbreak, I am not worried. The caregivers have back ups. Heck, even our back ups have back ups and those back ups have back ups.
We're lucky to have numerous tribes who have our backs. Who are willing to step in when I can't. It's times like this that I fully understand the phrase "it takes a village." It really does. My husband and I could not raise our children successfully if we did it all alone. I can't tell you how many times our parents have gotten calls in the form of "can you pick up _____ from school?" "Can you run eggs to our house? I'm in the middle of baking in the middle of nap time.." Or friends "hey, you wanna take a vacation with me and the kids?? I don't want to go by myself!" Or aunts and uncles "um, can you take my kids this weekend?" Or neighbors, "can you watch the house for us?"
It's easy to see how much help we'll need while we're on vacation. As I look at the bigger picture, I fully see how much our daily lives rely on our tribes. Our daily lives simply wouldn't work without those special people. It's not lost on me just how lucky we are to have close friends, family within minutes of us, and trustworthy neighbors. It's also not lost on me that not everyone has this type of support system. To that I say, I have no idea how you do it and I'm very, very thankful for our's because our life wouldn't be our life without them.
Grandparents are an integral part of our support system.