The Benefits of Growing Up In Community

Photo by MI PHAM

Growing up in Community

There are so many reasons why cohousing is good for your health, and good for the planet. It’s also great for families! So often in this culture we live separate from people who are in different phases of life. But there is a lot to be learned on all sides when generations come together in one space. We know that loneliness and isolation are tremendous health hazards for our elders, and we know that the work of raising a family while working long hours is immense. 

At Cathedral Park Cohousing we are building a multigenerational community, where families can raise their children in a supportive, interdependent neighborhood, and our elders can enjoy the joys of other people’s children. As we come together and get to know each other, we are learning the ways that each of us can bring a piece of who we are and how we live to the mosaic of this community.

Community is love in action

I grew up on a pretty special stretch of dirt road in Northern Vermont, where reciprocity was a given, and where we always had each others’ backs. From the Youngs to the Youngs, passing Gibsons and Mahers in between, and on up to the Cantors and the Dunbars, all us kids had bonus parents and grandparents. We also had a handful of houses we could walk into without knocking, any halloween costume you could need in Peggy’s attic, any tool in Dennis’s shop, and access to experiences, lives and viewpoints at an angle to those in our own homes. I had a whole bonus family with the Youngs, and we were all just plain there for each other when needed. Unspoken love, or love in action, or however you want to say it, this was community. Imperfect, all of us, of course, but there for each other.

Building in the love at Cathedral Park Cohousing

As the Cathedral Park Cohousing community grows, I can already feel the love building between us, and some of us haven’t even met in person yet! But we are taking an interest in each other’s families, celebrating successes, and wrapping around each other with support when things are hard. So far, we are working professionals, empty nesters, parents of teens and young adults, young adults ready to live on their own, and retirees, and more. We have lots of room for parents of young children, and hope that if you are curious about what it might be like to raise your children in the embrace of community, you will reach out! Here are some thoughts on why cohousing is a great way to live from the folks over at the Cohousing Association of the US.

If I give my kids nothing else as a mom, I have always felt that If I can immerse them in the power of community, I will have succeeded. I have every bit of faith that the people who come together to create this cohousing community understand the power of raising our children together, and of living side by side with caring and love. 

Come Explore with us! 

If you would like to explore what it might feel like to live in a community of caring, we would love to see you at an upcoming Learn About event. Visit our website to register for an upcoming session! 

Category: Kids & Teens

Tags: Growing up, kids, living in cohousing, multigenerational

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