This reminds me of the Bob Dole/Hillary Clinton squabble about whether it
takes the parents or village to raise a child.  Bob Keeshan (Capt. Kangaroo)
settled the argument by saying "it takes both."

With utmost respect to the Captain, my first hero after my Dad, it seems to
me that it takes the parents to raise the child with the support of the
village.  I mean to imply that parents are the sole authority.  I'm sure Mr.
Keeshan didn't mean otherwise, but there seems to be a growing trend toward
the village having more say than it should.  That's why I make this comment,
but I would stress that it is only my ever-so-humble opinion

All in all, this topic causes me to wonder how families who have children
with disabilities fare in this regard.  Do parents on the list feel as though
they have the support of their respective "villages?"

In a message dated 05/31/2000 7:08:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

> you know we are being  light hearted, as we are always, but, i try to be
>  sure that both sara and benjamin get to see their grandma and grandps s  as
>  much as possible. i lost one grandmother early.
>    my dad was at a meeting of some kind and a little girl called him "pa pa"
>  (a short for grandpa in middle alabama), her mother told her that he was
not
>  "her" pa pa, she replied "he looks like a pa pa" and dad said "i guess if i
>  look like a pa pa" then i can be your papa." this is very cute. my point
>  though is that kids need grandparents abd if death or other things take
>  their grandparents, it is a smart parent that lets someone be an "adopted
>  grandparent.
>