Cohousing-L Mailing List: Teens and Chores in Community

[Scott Bentley (sleeper40]

Hello Neighbors,

We here at La Querencia in Fresno have been living in cohousing for about 6 
months.  So far so good from my perspective!  We recently went from having one 
17 year-old and one 13 year-old (beside five younger children), to having three 
additional teenagers and three additional younger children, and potentially 
more of each soon to move in. 

Does anyone have experience with assigning regular chores to teens (beyond just 
cleaning the teen room, and perhaps recycling cans).  Each adult in our 
community has a regular chore (e.g., kitchen, bathrooms, walk-ways, etc.).  
Anyone have experience with Teens having a regular chore as well?  Actually, 
the more important question, should the community as a whole be able to make a 
decision that "requires" teens to complete chores on a regular basis?

I will play a large role in communicating with the teens however things turn 
out, so any shared experience will be valuable to me. I welcome a phone 
conversation if that is more convenient for anyone.  

Thanks, 
Scott Bentley