The Village Blog Origin Story

Military Spouse Magazine October 2012

Welcome to The Village Blog

On September 17, 2012, I was invited to write an article for Military Spouse Magazine offering tips for families starting the school year strong. At the time, I was just beginning my K–12 journey as the mother of an extraordinary son on the autism spectrum. Those eight tips were my guiding light—simple, steady practices that I believed would set children up for success.

Fast forward 13 years. On September 17, 2025, scrolling through my Facebook memories, I came across that very article. I paused. I read it again, this time not as a young mother at the starting line, but as a seasoned parent who had just relocated to Tallahassee to support her son as he began his freshman year of college and stepped confidently into emerging adulthood.

That’s when it hit me: I followed my own advice—and it worked.

The routines, the questions, the organization, the visits “just because,” the fun we insisted on having—they shaped my son’s journey from kindergarten to college. Today, he is not only thriving, he is proof that intentional parenting, collaboration with schools, and engagement with the village matter.

In that moment, I realized something important:

These tips weren’t just mine. They belonged to the village.

And so, The Village Blog was born.

This space is a living library—a place where I will share wisdom, stories, strategies, and reflections from the past 13 years of raising a child, partnering with families, and building top-notch villages. It will not be theory for theory’s sake. It will be proven, lived, and tested truth—knowledge that has already worked in real homes, real schools, and real communities.

Whether you are a parent, educator, service provider, or community member, my hope is that you find something here that helps you love children better, lead them with clarity, and build stronger bridges between home and school.

The Village Blog began with eight tips in 2012. It continues now because those tips grew with my son and carried us into this new season of college life in 2025. That body of knowledge no longer lives in a file drawer or a memory. It lives here, for the village.

The Village Blog was born when I realized the tips I wrote 13 years ago had raised a thriving college student — and that body of knowledge belonged to the village, not just to me.