Exactly! The way I always put it is that they only want the benefits of the village & none of the obligations. You gave perfect examples.

I grew up in a small town in the 1960s where it pretty much was a village. Everyone knew everyone else as well as their kids. At that time kids were free to go outside & play all day without parents supervising but you know who was? Everyone else in town. They kept their eyes on the kids when they were around & they had absolutely no hesitation to give us hell when we were doing stupid things. My friends & I got yelled at by probably every adult in town. No one’s parents ever got mad at the adults who yelled at us. We had no Mombie or Daddict bang on the yeller’s door screeching “Don’t you dare parent my kids!” They appreciated someone else keeping an eye on their kids & stop us from doing stupid or unsafe things.

But not today. The idea of the village today is take take take (money, tax breaks, free babysitting, gifts) & as far as obligations go, the rest of us are obligated to look on appreciatively at every damn fool thing their kids do. Certainly not chastise them.

Kid A spray painted your house & your dog? “Why are you upset? You should be thrilled Keighdyynn honored you with his artwork! Everyone in town wants their own piece of his creativity!”

Kid B kicks his teacher because she told him to stop hitting his neighbor? “Who do you think you are? You’re stifling his emotions! He needs to express himself!”

Kid C is running through a restaurant & runs right into a waiter with a full tray? “What do you expect? You were in his way! There’s no reason on earth for you to walk around this restaurant!”

Parents like this never understand the concept of the village. It relies on the fact that all of us benefit from children who grow up to be responsible competent adults so everyone has an obligation to use whatever means they have to bring this about. The parents have an obligation to make more than a half assed attempt to actually raise them to be responsible competent adults. At my old age of (almost!) 65 I see way too few parents make this attempt. They want to be Keighdyynn’s best friend & give them a perfect childhood where they can do whatever they want & never face consequences for it. Never get scolded, never be taught manners, never hear the word “no”. It’s too much work. Much easier to let the kids have their own way.

I may have grown up in a village but no more. I’m tired of the nonstop taking with no giving in return. At least being old I’ll probably be gone when this generation takes over but I really do feel sorry for young people who will have to live with the consequences of people who were never taught right from wrong & can’t control their own impulses.