Cohousing for Families with Kids

I knew why young parents signed up for cohousing. I read the books, watched the videos and talked about it endlessly with other cohousers.

It all made sense to me. But I needed to be sure.

So my kids, wife and I went for a visit to Canada’s very first cohousing development – Windsong in North Langley.

We had a chance to walk the property and talk with a few residents. We stopped by the common house, saw the kids playroom, the teens space and plenty of other amenities.

But what happened next really sealed the deal for me.

A kid came out from one of the houses. He walked right up to my two and asked if they wanted to play soccer. My son said sure and away they all ran.

Then another kid showed up, and another, and another. Running and screaming and having the time of their lives.

No planning. No “play dates”. Just spontaneous fun the way only kids can manage.

At the end of it, my wee ones didn’t want to leave. They knew we were thinking about cohousing and thought maybe they could come to live at Windsong until “ours” was done.

That’s when my wife and I knew it was the right move.

Because although we live in a nice house in a nice neighbourhood, we’ve never quite experienced something like this.

In normal life, everything is planned. There’s a schedule. And often, lots of driving around.

But this was different. It was spontaneous. And it was wonderful.

Yes, my wife and I are looking forward to the perks that come to parents involved in cohousing – especially the free childcare.

But it’s really the benefits to the kids that pulled us in – the opportunity to have a “built-in” set of friends, to learn from people with a very different set of skills and experience than Mommy or Daddy, and the opportunity to have a whole lot of fun in the process.