Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re:all white image

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Monday, March 17, 2003, at 08:53  AM, Laura Fitch, A.I.A. wrote:

> I also listened carefully when my test audience said that the first 
> draft of my slide show was too family focused.  I then spent 
> substantial time and effort to revise the entire show to be more 
> "elder-friendly".  And of course, it is a better show because of this 
> feedback.

We need are better words to describe people in various stages of life. 
And a better sense of whether we want to describe cohousing as it is or 
as we wish it to be. In a presentation video, it might be appropriate 
to present cohousing in an ideal form.

Perhaps rather than making "family" and "elder" oppositions, we might 
think of portraying the advantages of cohousing for all age groups or 
stages of life. While children are a valuable commodity in communities 
so are all the other age groups. We are all members of a family and the 
majority of us are parents. When announcements say that "parents" will 
be meeting, I know they mean parents of children who are currently 
under the age of 16 and living in the community full-time, but the 
wording is exclusionary and imprecise.

For people who are anxiously awaiting children or overwhelmed with the 
moment to  moment and unending demands of caring for children who 
currently live with them, the concept of "family" has an immediate (and 
proud) meaning. It is a defining moment in life. But there are a great 
many other defining moments that we need to nurture and recognize as 
well.

Sharon
-----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org

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