We asked, you answered: How have 'alloparents' come to your rescue?
On December 1, we published a story about "alloparents."
The word refers to the many helpers that a mom or dad might have when caring for infants – and even toddlers and older kids.
Scientists call these helpers "alloparents." The prefix "allo" derives from the Greek word for "other." So these helpers are literally "other parents."
The story reported on alloparents in a hunter-gatherer community in Congo are often part of the fabric of a community in many parts of the world. Reporter Michaeleen Doucleff wrote: "On average, the children had eight people, other than their mothers, giving regular hands-on care, such as bathing, feeding and loving them with kisses, hugs and stroking. The youngsters had two to three other people responding to their crying."
In the Western world, there's sometimes a different narrative: That the mom should be able to do it all.
We asked our audience: Can you tell us of a time when an alloparent came to your aid? We got more than 100 responses, sharing stories about family members, friends, neighbors, even helpful strangers.
Some of the respondents also noted that ... well, Duh, we already knew that,
Global perspectives
"I'm afraid I found this article to be an exercise in re-educating the WEIRD – Western educated industrialized rich and democratic. But it's important to learn
