Can you picture a community where parents have babysitting cooperatives? Or communities where businesses give a “penny-a-purchase” to the community for child care for those in need? Or a summer program where teens can “hang out” and be available for odd jobs in the community? Or where volunteers help tutor students? How about a volunteer taxi service for the elderly that doesn’t just run on Election Day? Could any of these ideas become realities? Perhaps they may become necessities.
Communities can face increasing cuts in services according to reports about the new proposed federal budget. Just think what we could teach our kids with greater commitment to community service.
Just think what we may gain with greater cooperation with each other over common causes?
Let’s face it, our culture has been pushing us towards more individualism and isolation. Even now our government continues to push us in this direction with the “ownership society”. As we move in this direction, community services shrink. That is where increasing cooperation between community members comes in. If child care programs are cut, for instance, communities will have to come up with ways to fill the void.
What does this have to do with parenting? These issues facing communities should be issues that concern parents. A loss in services decreases supports to families and makes family life more difficult – especially for those who are not financially self sufficient. It is becoming a necessity for parents to work for better communities. Here are my suggestions to parents.
1. Parents need to break down barriers that lead to isolation. Families need each other for support and sharing of resources. If we all cloister in our own homes, we will never achieve the necessary sense of greater community.
2. TV and technology needs to be used more sparingly. TV, Game boy, computer games, the Internet, Instant Messaging and cell phones increase our isolation from each other. How can we build community without personal interaction? Young children don’t need technology. They need best friends to play with – and I mean interactive game play. As young kids play together, bonds form between families – and a community builds.
3. Families need to be involved in community activities. Your involvement could be service oriented such as working at a food pantry, or driving seniors to the market. Through serving others, we receive gratification for doing something good and our children learn what it is like to give of themselves to improve the situation of others in our community.
4. Parents need to recognize that each one of us will have our turn to struggle. Few in our society are so self sufficient that troubles with joblessness, loss of benefits, school problems and other family struggles don’t rise up at some inoperative time. Families should be open to give support to others and to receive help when they need it.
5. Every community needs supportive services for families. We cannot allow the push towards ownership and individualism to continue to erode necessary community services. We need to push back and insist that our government provide adequate supports to schools, health care, child care, housing, police and firefighting services that help keep our families healthy and secure.
6. Parents need to raise their level of concern about these issues to a new level. As parents we cannot wait for further erosion of our schools or our health care system before we become aware and start taking an interest in these issues. These issues are tied to family security for a majority of families. We, as parents, have to break out of our isolated shells and see where the trend is going. We need to teach our children about the concern for greater community good by expressing our interest in it.
So if you are interested in working on some of the ideas I outlined above, get in contact with me or Stacy Randall at Cape Ann Families. The time is now to work, serve, and parent for a better community.