Bravely Connected

We are living in a moment where something feels deeply off.

Kids are more anxious, lonely, and disconnected than ever before.
Parents are overwhelmed, exhausted, and quietly carrying far more than they were ever meant to hold alone.

And yet, I believe this with my whole heart:

Parents are the answer our world is looking for right now.

Not because parents have all the answers.
Not because parents need to try harder.
But because when parents choose connection over isolation, everything changes.

Parenting Was Never Meant to Be a Solo Act

Somewhere along the way, we were sold a quiet lie:

That parenting is a private responsibility.
That struggling means you’re failing.
That asking for help is weakness.
That everyone else has it figured out except you.

But humans were never designed to raise humans alone.

For most of history, parenting happened inside community—inside a village where support, wisdom, correction, and care were shared.

Isolation isn’t just difficult.
It’s unnatural.

What Happens When a Parent Stands Up

I’ve seen it again and again in my work with families and communities.

When a parent decides to stand up for their child—to advocate, to ask for support, to say “this isn’t working and I won’t ignore it”—something powerful happens.

The child feels seen.
The parent feels less alone.
The system around them begins to shift.

And when more than one parent stands up together, it creates safety—not just for their own children, but for everyone’s.

Kids learn:

• I’m not the problem.
• I’m allowed to need support.
• Adults will show up for me.

This is how resilience is built—not through toughness, but through belonging.

The Cost of Losing the Village

When parents become disconnected from one another, kids feel it deeply.

Without safe, real-life belonging, kids go searching:

• online
• on social media
• through comparison and performance
• through algorithms that promise connection but rarely deliver care

Social media didn’t become powerful because kids are weak.
It became powerful because the village went quiet.

And parents didn’t withdraw because they stopped caring.
They withdrew because they were exhausted, unsupported, and told—implicitly—that they were on their own.

Being Bravely Connected to Yourself as a Parent

Rebuilding the village doesn’t start “out there.”

It starts with being bravely connected to yourself.

That looks like:

• noticing when you’re overwhelmed instead of pushing through
• letting go of perfection and comparison
• trusting your intuition again
• naming when something feels off
• giving yourself permission to need support

Kids don’t need perfect parents.

They need regulated, grounded, emotionally present adults.

When you care for your own nervous system, your kids borrow that safety.

Being Bravely Connected to Others: How Community Heals

Community doesn’t require sameness.
It requires willingness.

It starts when one parent says to another:

“This is hard. Want to figure it out together?”

When parents connect, kids learn how to:

• ask for help
• repair relationships
• belong without performing
• navigate differences without fear

This is how culture changes—not loudly, but relationally.

Simple, Creative Ways Parents Can Rebuild the Village

Rebuilding community doesn’t require a big program or perfect plan.
It requires small, consistent acts of connection.

Here are a few gentle, doable ways to start:

1. Start with the “Two-Family Rule”

Choose one other family and commit to regular connection—walks, shared meals, rides, or check-ins.

Village grows from proximity, not perfection.

2. Use What You’re Already Doing

Your child already goes places—school, sports, activities, parks.

Stay five minutes longer.
Talk to one parent.
Ask one real question.

Community forms in the margins.

3. Normalize Talking About the Hard Stuff

Say what many are thinking:

• “This season is stretching me.”
• “My child is struggling and I’m learning.”
• “I don’t have this figured out.”

Vulnerability invites connection.

4. Let Your Kids See You Belong

Model what you want your kids to learn.

Let them see you:

• ask for help
• show up for others
• participate instead of spectate

Children learn how to belong by watching how we belong.

5. Create One Small Rhythm

Not an event—a rhythm.

A monthly soup night.
A walking group.
A standing coffee date.

Consistency builds trust.
Trust builds safety.
Safety builds resilience.

A Gentle Invitation to Parents

If you’re tired, overwhelmed, or quietly wondering if you’re doing enough—hear this:

You are not failing.
You are not behind.
You are not meant to do this alone.

The village isn’t gone.

It’s waiting for someone to begin again.

Often, that someone is a parent who decides:

“I won’t do this alone anymore.”

When parents stand up—for their kids, for themselves, and for one another—we don’t just make families stronger.

We make communities safer.

And that’s how the world changes—one brave connection at a time.

I am excited to share that I’m helping Calgary United Way create a movement of parents in a Calgary community through Planet Youth. If this post has stirred something inside you, email me at connie@conniejakab.com and let me know if you want more information.

I’m excited to see what parents are going to create!