It takes a village to raise a child but the village is missing
The birth announcement was simple, but profound – in so many ways. “Welcome to our village wee one,” read the caption to an Instagram picture of New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, bearing the exhausted smile – recognised by every new mother – as she cradled her newborn baby girl in her arms, her partner by her side.
Ardern made history last week by becoming only the second world leader in history to give birth while in office. Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto was the first, in 1990. Village life is a key element to Maori culture, so it’s hard to know whether the reference was an off-the-cuff remark, or meant to carry a deeper meaning. But for modern parents everywhere, it strikes a chord. A gentle reminder: it takes a village to raise a child. And so often in modern life, new parents can find that village to be missing in action