Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Locking Doors in the CH

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

At RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA, we have a timed lock on the front door 
of the Common House. This was quite a discussion, when it was decided years 
ago: most of us don't even lock our houses. (I'm like the old lady who was 
asked why she didn't lock her door at night. She replied, "Because someone 
might want to come in!") 

But a few people were anxious about their mailboxes, our electronics, and so 
forth. We aren't in an urban area, but neither are we remote: lots of people do 
pass by our Common House. So we decided to install the pricey lock for the 
peace of mind of those who were concerned. It's a key pad, and each household 
has a code. Of course the kids know the codes. 

The one time we had a DVD player taken, it was in broad daylight, by a 
neighboring young teen. His mom contacted us and we did some "restorative 
justice" that included him returning it, and working with us on some landscape 
work. We've since scrawled our name on the portable equipment and made it 
somewhat less portable. 

Alcohol: we have a solid house rule that alcohol is not left unattended in the 
CH. We often have some beer or wine at meals or events, but at the end of the 
event it all gets taken home. Because we do have unsupervised pre-teens and 
young teens in the CH, we thought it wise not to leave alcohol around. 

Kids are usually shooed out of the kitchen when cooking is happening, unless 
they are also cooking, for safety. When they were younger, the rule was "Stop 
at the red [kitchen] flooring." 

TV: For years we had none. Then we got video watching facilities, then WiFi, 
and then that came with TV channels included. A few of the kids spend more time 
watching than I think wise, but we decided to leave it to parents. I'm 
agitating to not have kids watching in the small room when we are having meals: 
I think they should be expected to socialize, at least with each other, in the 
dining room, rather than bolt some food and race off to stare at the tube. But 
there are parents who might not want such a rule. We sometimes have movie 
nights, or get together to watch some big-deal event. 

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
in Port Townsend WA, where it seems EVERYTHING  is in bloom: lilacs, peonies, 
hawthorne trees, poppies, iris, dogwood, and more. And where one of "our" (now 
young-adult) kids just sourced an event that made and served free lemon cake to 
3000 people at the end of a festival parade!