FIRST WORD
It Takes a Village
PJ Feinstein
Editor pfeinstein@midatlanticmedia.com
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info@thefamilymagazine.com Most parents are familiar with the African proverb “It
takes a village to raise a child.” But until the pandemic
hit, many of us didn’t realize the extent to which that is
true. When schools closed and out-of-state grandparents
were unable to visit, we had to quickly adapt to parenting
in isolation — and it was hard. It was also unprecedented.

As Stephanie Coontz, author of “The Way We Never
Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap,” told
the New York Times, it’s “unheard of except in total
emergencies” for families to be completely responsible
for their children.

I also believe that it takes a village to support a
parent, and when the world shut down, the mental
health of parents suffered dramatically. Last summer,
the University of Oregon’s RAPID-EC survey found
that 63% of moms and dads felt they had lost emotional
support since the start of the pandemic. Social
distancing and remote work made it harder for parents
to rely on friends and co-workers; however, support
from neighbors increased slightly.

In her personal essay, “It Takes a Village,” local
mom Katie Schubert explains how her neighbors — the
military community in Okinawa, Japan — came to the
rescue when she gave birth prematurely to her first
child during the pandemic. The support Katie and her
husband received, she said, sustained them through the
challenging weeks that followed.

This summer I’m excited to reconnect with my
family’s village and have been brainstorming activities
we can do together. Putting together this issue, which
includes stories about fully accessible playgrounds in
the D.C. area and family theme parks within driving
distance, has been helpful as I plan the month ahead. I
hope you find our recommendations useful as well.

Speaking of recommendations, our July issue also
features the results of our annual Best for Families
survey. You’ll find the winners and runners up in
more than 100 categories, ranging from healthcare to
party planning.

Wishing you a happy 4th of July and a safe,
memorable summer. n
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