Cohousing-L Mailing List: Kid Age Differences

[George Albercook (George_Albercook]

        Reply to:   Kid Age Differences

I'm a member of Ann Arbor Cohousing where we are making plans for our =
ground breaking ceremony and plan to move in next spring.

I have read much of the archive and it is a great resource. I didn't see =
anything on this particular topic. Please forgive me if in missed it. 

Several members/potential members have expressed concern over the lack of =
children the same age as their own. How important is it that kids be =
within a year or two of each other in age to make good playmates? I don't =
have kids so I can't say but this seems overly restrictive.

I have a theory that our strongly age segregated school and after school =
activities are an artifact of a mobile/wealthy society and that =
throughout most of the history of mankind and in large parts of the world =
today children grew/grow up in small villages with a range of older and =
younger playmates. I remember the lament of the loss of the one room =
school, that the older kids taught the younger ones. Can't kids benefit =
from age diversity just as adults can?