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I always figured a kibbutz-style scheme might be something to encourage. Let's try to make spaces where families raising children can live together and coopera

by hakfoo 2y ago

I always figured a kibbutz-style scheme might be something to encourage. Let's try to make spaces where families raising children can live together and cooperate. From a sheer economic standpoint, sharing the breadwinning and parenting duties might allow the children to get more hours of hands-on parent time. There might be economies of scale in sharing and handing down equipment, clothing, toys, or even provisioning services (if you have 10 families loving together, maybe at that point keeping a pediatrician or tutors on retainer might work?) There might also be benefits in a more diverse set of ideas in the shared house-- when the kid reaches an age where they develop more complex interests and questions, more "parents" means a better chance they have someone with the appropriate knowledge or skills to help their development.

shiroiushi 2y ago
With the shrinking availability of resources (esp. housing) in many places, I have wondered if, in the near future, more people will create these ad-hoc extended families rather than sticking to the normal 2-person couples. It'll require people to let go of the idea of monogamy though; arrangements like these probably won't work if monogamy is expected, because with so many adults living closely together, it's inevitable that attractions would happen, so the whole thing would only work I think if people are allowed to explore those without everything blowing up. But on the other hand, finding just one person you like to live with is very challenging; throw in just 1 or 2 more and it seems almost impossible (i.e., the extra people have to get along well not just with you, but with your current partner, and any other new people as well). So yeah, theoretically having 6-20 adults all living together and sleeping with each other sounds fantastic when looking at resource-sharing and time management, but when you think about potential personality clashes it seems impossible to me unfortunately.
ido 2y ago
Are you aware that the Kibbutzim have largely stopped doing that? Among other things it was found to be mentally damaging to the children. Even the ones that remained communal no longer have communal childrearing anymore. Some context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz_communal_child_rearing_and_collective_education#End_of_collective_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz_communal_child_rearing... "Collective education can be regarded as a failure. The family as the basic social unit has not been abolished in kibbutzim. On the contrary, familistic trends have become stronger than ever, and kibbutz parents have reclaimed their rights to care for their own children. Collective education has not produced a new type of human being, and any differences found between adults raised on and off the kibbutz have been minimal."

by hakfoo 2y ago

shiroiushi 2y ago

With the shrinking availability of resources (esp. housing) in many places, I have wondered if, in the near future, more people will create these ad-hoc extended families rather than sticking to the normal 2-person couples. It'll require people to let go of the idea of monogamy though; arrangements like these probably won't work if monogamy is expected, because with so many adults living closely together, it's inevitable that attractions would happen, so the whole thing would only work I think if people are allowed to explore those without everything blowing up. But on the other hand, finding just one person you like to live with is very challenging; throw in just 1 or 2 more and it seems almost impossible (i.e., the extra people have to get along well not just with you, but with your current partner, and any other new people as well). So yeah, theoretically having 6-20 adults all living together and sleeping with each other sounds fantastic when looking at resource-sharing and time management, but when you think about potential personality clashes it seems impossible to me unfortunately.

ido 2y ago

Are you aware that the Kibbutzim have largely stopped doing that? Among other things it was found to be mentally damaging to the children. Even the ones that remained communal no longer have communal childrearing anymore. Some context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz_communal_child_rearing_and_collective_education#End_of_collective_education https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz_communal_child_rearing... "Collective education can be regarded as a failure. The family as the basic social unit has not been abolished in kibbutzim. On the contrary, familistic trends have become stronger than ever, and kibbutz parents have reclaimed their rights to care for their own children. Collective education has not produced a new type of human being, and any differences found between adults raised on and off the kibbutz have been minimal."