Cohousing-L Mailing List: children at dinner

[Liz Ryan Cole (lcole]

Hi.  I am new to this email list.  My name is Liz Ryan Cole and I am
enjoying and learning from all your comments.  

I am one of the founders of the Pinnacle Project a developing group in
Lyme, NH.  I am also the mother of 4 boys.  We lived in collective
houses with our children and other familes with children when our
children were younger.  I want to reinforce the message from the parents
with experience in Montessori School.  We found that children were
perfectly able to sit and participate in dinner table conversation if we
followed agreed upon rules.  It is true that kids have a shorter span
and having a place they can go after dinner to play while adults keep
talking is also essential.  We did see that kids who were expected to
participate in dinner table conversation, at their own level of course,
spent more and more time at dinner.  It was good for kids and parents.

thanks for having this list.  liz

Liz Ryan Cole
Pinnacle Project
postpondlodge.com