raising children

I love being a mama! I have a great mother and grandmother. I have amazing sisters and wonderful friends.

My cat just had kittens (about a week or so ago) and I started to notice something... She kept wanting to move the kittens off the screen porch. This is not a smart move due to two large labradors that think chasing cats is the best game ever. I could not figure out why Ambulance (this is the mama cats name- Lily named her) was not happy and comfortable in a basket with blankets, and food and water nearby. Then I realized- She wanted to be close to her mama (Mitzy).

~(Ambulance- new mama, mostly calico... Mitzy- Ambulance's mama, mostly white)~

I have been around ALOT of cats and newborn kittens, but I have never seen this. It got my mind to reeling.... Have you heard of that saying "It takes a community to raise a child"- or something like that?? What does it mean?
Well, to me, I think it means that it takes more than a mom and dad to raise a child. Not that we are suppose to send our kids off to other people to raise and teach them, but that while we, as parents, provide majority of love, nuturing, care, etc... other people provide other things as well.

For me, I plan to teach Lily at home. I hope to not only teach her basic education type things, but I also hope to teach her about the Bible, and God. I hope to teach her how to take care of herself- bathing and dressing as well as cooking and cleaning. I want to teach her how to observe things around her, be kind to animals, work hard, be independent but also dependent (yes there is a difference!)
I love to send her to my grandparents home. She comes home talking about all kinds of things she did. She helped Granma with a quilt (she laid under it and watched Granma) and she looked at cows with Pa (rode the 4 wheeler through the pasture). She gets excited about things like this, not just what she is doing but with whom she is doing them with... She loves going to my parents home and getting chicken eggs with Bidi and helping Gramps with firewood. These are things she can do with me (except the eggs- I have a BIG fear of snakes in the henhouse) but it seems she learns more, doing these things with them, than with me. Not that she wouldnt learn (at least I hope she would), but the different environment, the different teacher, makes the experience so much better.

So with my cats- Ambulance (the new mama) just wanted her mama to stay with her and keep her company. Maybe Mitzy is teaching her how to be a good mama, maybe Mitzy is snuggling with the kittens to give Ambulance a break and some time to herself... I dont know- but I do think that us Mamas need to stick together. Whether we are sisters or friends, mama or grandmas- we all have something to offer to each other. Love, support, help, guidence, a much needed break.
So to all the wonderful women in my life- Thank you for being my community! Thankyou for helping me and for loving and teaching Lily in your everyday activities. Thankyou for teching me!