Most of us have heard of the saying - "it takes a village to raise a child". Traditionally, aside from the wider community, the older generation played a central role in nurturing our young - imparting traditional wisdom and offering devoted care. Children were not solely reliant on their parents - rather, they benefited from the collective support of extended family. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement - the elderly stayed mentally active and emotionally connected by investing their love in the family's young, fostering well-rounded children who absorbed the insights of two generations. Young parents, in turn, felt supported.
Now, the elderly are increasingly placed in care homes - a booming industry where land is rapidly being developed into "retirement villages" - glorified waiting rooms for the "happy farm". Young parents are working longer hours - often only managing to kiss their half-asleep children before dropping them off at childcare so that they can rush back to the grind - just to make ends meet - but don't worry, we're told that suffering is meant to build character. Children are often raised by strangers within regimented structures - aimed at producing the next generation of risk-averse worker bees. The curriculum seems to drain the creativity and spark from these young minds - and yet, we’ve come to accept this as "normal".
So normal.