Whether or not we have children, we are meant to be part of a village with them. This is not a role of servitude, though being in a village would mean we contribute. It would be very much a reciprocal relationship.
Being around children reveals to us the inner, lifelong wounds that need tending and healing. It gives us insight into what we have held back or dampened because children live uninhibited.
If we can become aware of how we have compensated in our childhood, we can return to ourselves.