Can You Deal with the Village? Can Your Kid?

Six years ago our family branched out for the first time and Athens, Georgia became part of our lives. The parks, the restaurants, the churches, and the people fitted themselves in our consciousness and dialog because our oldest was in school there. Four years ago the same thing happened with Carrollton, Georgia when our second child began college there. Just this past January we added Milledgeville, Georgia into our psyche when our youngest found a home at school there.
Ryan finished in Carrollton Friday and we move him into the home he'll share with his new bride today. Robert and Carrie move from Athens tomorrow.
Athens and Carrollton - we feel blessed to have known you.
There's that saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." I definitely agree that every parent needs to surround themselves with a good village. But this morning a new thought came to me.
Unless a child knows how to deal with a village - it won't do him much good.
To ask for help, to be vulnerable and humble, to pitch in and do your part, to be grateful and express it - all these are necessary for the village to work for a person. And not just a child. A friend wrote in her blog about finally finding a church home in her new military home. (If you want to take a look here's the link - http://jodiebailey.blogspot.com/2010/05/song-we-were-singing-jimmy-buffetts-i.html ) But it took her working up the courage to be vulnerable to a stranger.
Our kids plunged into their villages and found wonderful folks to help them in that transition from teenager to young adult. Their villages provided opportunity, acceptance, and instruction.
Athens and Carrollton - we feel blessed to have known you.