«It takes a village to raise a child,» the classic quotation goes, but it doesn’t thoroughly examine the involvement of said village. To some, a village means pre-colonial communal raising of children, without the traditional post-colonial idea of a nuclear family with a mother and father. All of the adults in said village take responsibility for all of the children and their well-being, and all teach them different things. Kids are constantly surrounded by more than two adults and form strong attachments to grown-ups who aren’t their biological parents.

As rad an idea as that is, that’s not why people say, «It takes a village to raise a child.» Parents usually say that when they want someone to babysit for free. Wanting a village is totally understandable, and parents who don’t have friends or family that they can call up when they need help often struggle with stress and big babysitting bills.