Several weeks ago Wolf Creek Commons co-sponsored an open house day at Nevada City Cohousing, a nearby cohousing community that’s been in existence for several years. We invited interested guests to join us for discussions about cohousing, and to take a tour of the Nevada City Cohousing site (which includes many similarities to our future home, having been designed by the same green-focused architectural firm that specializes in cohousing communities). A good time was had by all present.
The most amazing part of that morning for me was listening to the children who spoke to our guests. Several 10-12 year old residents of Nevada City Cohousing volunteered a portion of their Saturday morning to talk extemporaneously in front of a large group of mostly adults about their experiences living in a cohousing community. They all seemed genuinely excited about the lifestyle — the safe environment, the extended family, and especially the ability to easily find someone in their peer group with whom they could share homework tasks or play time at a moment’s notice. I suspect there must be some downside to spending your childhood in a cohousing community, but all these children unabashedly made it sound like the greatest thing since peanut butter and jelly!
A young mother from Nevada City Cohousing also spoke that morning about her experience living in a cohousing community – the tremendous support she had from other families and the eagerly volunteered assistance helping out with her home and family while she was challenged by the latter stages of her pregnancy. She explained how once she and her newborn child were at home and ready, they posted a sign on their front door saying they would be ready for visitors at 10 a.m. the next day, and by 9:30 the line had started forming, resulting in a steady stream of smiling faces (both young and old alike) who came to greet the latest member of the community. What a nice, spontaneous welcoming committee!
Some of the guests at the open house brought their kids with them for the Saturday morning event. Providing child care while the adults were inspecting floor plans and talking finances became a moot point when the current juvenile residents of the cohousing community welcomed the young visitors into their playgroup with open arms.
Gail and I won’t be bringing any children with us as primary residents of our new home at Wolf Creek Commons, but the experience with the kids in a cohousing community on that morning helped reinforce our decision to move into a family-friendly community where all of our lives will be enriched by the various stages of life evidenced around us. We’re looking forward to being part of a community where kids are an integral part of the experience.
