“I need my village back..”
This weekend I finally said it out loud, “I need my village back.”
That’s how I started my 90 second pitch at a local event called Strangers Meeting Strangers in Minneapolis. I’m a single mom who doesn’t need to be swiping more apps hoping a nice man will look at my leaky sink after 3 dates. I need to be swiping on more moms like me, more parents, who will be at my doorstep when the shit hits the fan. And in the 3 years of owning my cute little home, a lot of shit has hit a lot of fans.
I don’t need another social media friend who doesn’t know the ages or names of my kids, or that I have any at all! It bothers me that so many networking events I want to attend don’t really include the whole family. We should be raising our kids together. We need our village back.
What ignited me to pitch…
Personally, I’ve gone through a lot alone. Buying and moving into my first house, after a “divorce” with no one to help, was rough. My basement flooding and navigating insurance claims (then getting bamboozled out of thousands of dollars!) then having to do the floor on my own dime, was rough. Skipping events and missing out on real opportunities that would quite frankly change my life, is rough. All because we’ve compartmentalized parenting.
Even before our split, my partner and I were states away from family and friends, and I just remember doing everything alone. Perhaps we didn’t make it because we were unable to go on dates, or vacations like other couples. Having our first child at 21 was a true blessing, that is a fact. But it came with long-lasting challenges.
I’m finally ready to talk about it. I have made a career out of doing it all on my own. I literally go by “The Indie Consultant,” it’s no secret, I’m that independent mom who “does it all”. But I know, we all know, we all go further, together. There are so many things I just cannot do. There are a growing list of things challenging me, and keeping me up at night. And I need my village back..
I have a soon to be high school son, and a pre-teen daughter. And I want to know your sons and daughters too! How will we make sure they take care of each other in the future? We can’t be advocating for change and wellness and community while we leave the kids at home. The kids need us, we need the kids. It takes every generation to build the things we want in this life..
So let’s get our village back. 💪🏽
Huge thank you to the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club, the organizers of Strangers Meeting Strangers, and everybody there who resonated with my story. It stunned me, but didn’t shock me that people would immediately feel, even in a simple 90 second pitch, that piercing pain of a lonely mom’s cry for help. #VillageBack <<< The official start!
🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽
Sincerely,
Heatherlee
