The Way Is Open For Understanding

I believe in the mother village I am growing across my local and global communities. We are having really amazing conversations about the interdependent nature of everything that vitally impacts our children’s well-being, happiness, growth, creativity, and brilliance.

When we dive deep into these intimate, and oftentimes informal, dialogues, we find more and more correlations between our own journeys from girlhood to womanhood to motherhood, and how all of these layers impact how we navigate the intensities and uncertainties that come with cultivating a liberated learning practice for our families. We are vulnerable with each other. We are transparent about the messiness, the financial rollercoaster rides, the heart-aching blows from family members’ unkind words, the gradual, yet turbulent, recovery in their wake. We are honest in moments of confusion, and we hold space for each other as we gently thread our way back to understanding, however long it takes.

Our faith in this work, our love for each other, our children, our families is the soil from which our radiant and revolutionary village is growing. This is not how we were taught to be, as women, as mothers, as people. We are crafting whole new possibilities of what life can be, of how our children can learn, of how we can integrate our own passions and artistries into the learning process. We are finding a new way to be happy and whole mothers, artists, women.

I lean on my village so much. When I am feeling discouraged, deflated, dismissed—I call one of the mothers, or send a text, or look through old pics of last week’s Village Day. I do something that connects me to the vastness of the beautiful, supportive network that we are making from scratch. I find some way to touch what is real about this family learning lab practice, even if it’s too tiny for the world to see and celebrate.

Everyday I am discovering more and more about making the most of every opportunity to learn, to grow, to see, to share, to leap, to fall, to trust, to let go. It exhausts me to do this labor, and it also fulfills me. I appreciate being able to share in the wildness of it all so intimately with my children, and with other mothers who love me and care for me.

I know our conscious togetherness seeds more depths of understanding, and especially in those moments when we really need to see some reflection of our labors out in the world, beyond just the fascinating thoughts in our heads. Sharing our most authentic truths with each other, frequently and lovingly, keeps our soil rich. We are able to learn and grow so well because we have so much knowledge, so many stories, so many real life moments between us.

Learn more about the Family Learning Lab.

Read our blog, Lab Notes: Stories, Experiments & Adventures from the Family Learning Lab.