October | Editor’s Letter | Community

We’ve all heard the saying: It takes a village to raise a child.

But what happens when you don’t have one?

When my family moved between cities, I quickly learned that community doesn’t simply arrive with a new address. You can unpack every box, learn the roads and settle into a routine—and still feel as though something important is missing.

You need people.

Someone who can recommend a pediatrician. A parent who knows which local activity your child might love. A neighbor who tells you about an event you would never have found on your own. A childcare provider who understands your family. A familiar face who makes a new place feel a little less unfamiliar.

These connections may seem small, but together they create something powerful:

The feeling that we belong.

During the pandemic, so many families experienced what life feels like without that sense of connection. Our circles became smaller. The casual conversations, shared routines and community spaces we once relied on disappeared almost overnight.

Even as the world reopened, rebuilding those connections wasn’t always easy.

Family life had become more digital, but it had not necessarily become more connected. We had access to endless information, yet many of us were still searching alone—moving between websites, neighborhood groups, directories and review platforms, trying to find the people and resources that could help.

September’s theme was trust. We explored how families decide whom to turn to and what helps us feel confident choosing the businesses and providers that support our lives.

But trust is only the beginning.

When trusted relationships begin to connect, they become community.

Community is the parent who shares an honest recommendation. It is the teacher who sees something special in your child. It is the local business owner who remembers your family. It is the caregiver, coach, doctor, neighbor or friend who makes life feel a little more manageable.

It is also reciprocal. A strong community doesn’t only help us find support—it gives each of us opportunities to offer it.

That belief sits at the heart of bttrfly.

bttrfly was never meant to be only a directory of businesses or another place to collect information. It was created to bring the different parts of family life together: parents searching for guidance, businesses offering valuable services, communities sharing experiences and Emmy helping families make sense of it all.

Technology cannot create genuine relationships for us. But it can make it easier for those relationships to begin.

It can help a new parent discover a support group nearby. It can introduce a family to a local class where their child feels at home. It can help a small family-focused business become visible to the people who need it. And it can give parents a place to ask questions, share what they have learned and help another family feel less alone.

The more I think about community, the more I realize that it isn’t something we simply find, fully formed and waiting for us.

It is something we build.

We build it when we introduce ourselves. When we share a resource. When we recommend a business that treated our family with care. When we invite someone new to join us. When we ask for help—and when we offer it.

Every connection becomes part of the village.

Throughout October, we’ll celebrate the people, places and businesses that help families feel connected. We’ll share local fall activities, explore family and neighborhood traditions, spotlight community-centered businesses and ask what makes a place truly feel like home.

Emmy will also be asking: Who is part of your family’s village—and who might still be missing?

Because no family should have to figure everything out alone.

Our villages may look different than they once did. They may include relatives across the country, friends we met online, teachers, caregivers, local business owners and people we are only beginning to know.

What matters is that we continue creating spaces where families can find one another, support one another and feel that they belong.

That is the community we are building at bttrfly.

And there is always room in the village for one more.

With love,
Pia
Founder, bttrfly