Child Safety & Accountability in an Ecovillage or Cohousing Community 
Children Are Safer and Held Accountable

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There are several reasons why children are safer in a cohousing community in Dallas-Fort Worth rather than the typical DFW urban or suburban home.

1. The automobile is left at the perimeter of the property. This means children can play, fly a kite, learn to ride a bicycle, or just sit on the sidewalk in the community without a constant worry of injury by automobiles or trucks. In a typical urban or suburban home, this is not true.

2. More eyes are watching.  Many windows in the community's homes and common house are focused on the common areas. More adult eyes are watching; children and adults will quickly respond when needed. It's like being surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.

3. When everyone in the community is known, a stranger in the community is quickly spotted and questioned.

Children (and adults) are held accountable for their actions. Children are known and loved, thus they are held accountable by the community. That is often not the case in suburban/urban America where people ignore the actions of others or children are unknown.

Kay Wilson writes, "As a child, I lived in a community that would be considered a village in comparison to a modern suburb or urban neighborhood. My conduct was a concern of everybody, not just my parents. This was especially true if I was doing something dangerous or if I was into some form of mischief.

"I remember the time I was lighting matches. Ms. Sanders not only stopped me and took them away, she made certain my parents knew what I was doing before I even reached home. She wasn't mean; she was just concerned about me and about the community. I would welcome that closeness and that safety factor for my children. All parents need extra eyes. 

"By the same token, adults were kind to me and I was never afraid of 'strangers' or some of the other fears children have today. In fact, when a stranger came to our community, we all gathered around to stare. "

It takes all of the people involved in the life of a child to give their best and do their part in the raising of a child. Today in the USA, there are very few adults in a child's life, especially close adults.  Living in an ecovillage changes that scenario for all the children there.

Does it take a whole village to raise a child? It seems to be true, and preferable to modern lifestyles, when you observe a cohousing community or an ecovillage.

 

Questions? Please come to our next introductory meeting. In the meantime, call metro 972 251-1532 for answers. 

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Please call 972 251-1532 or 817 545-0140 for locations.

Please fill out the short survey here for an invitation to speaker/special meetings. Thank you.

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