It Takes A Village

I've heard rumors that back before I was born, extended family, and sometimes even a whole community, would come together to raise children. That seems rarely the norm, at least in America, these days. What happened? 

Because today, the Lolo and Lola took the girls to the pool for a couple of hours and it was ... Amazing. Everyone had a great time. The girls got to swim. The grandparents got to spend good time with their grandkids. And Cat and I got some quiet time to focus on work. This felt... Right. Why did we abandon this model?? 

I understand that technology has enabled longer distances between families, yet at the same time required geolocations with work has forced families to spread apart. Higher housing prices in centers of work have largely priced out fixed-income grandparents. It's a shame, really. I bet we can trace some key societal ills to this.... Second and third order effects and all. 

Oh and one bit of random excitement for the day.. Cel locked herself in the bathroom alone. After much panic, this is how we taught her to unlock the door... 

So happy she could decipher and we didn't need to kick down the door! 

Ah well, another good day in Florida, with some big thoughts always lurking.