From a report on a study on the family that I found via Julie Leung:
“People just don’t come together very frequently in our society,” Ochs said. “They might say they want community, but they don’t seek it.”
I’ve actually been thinking about just this: How can I and my family seek community? Not just our family community, but also a larger community. The church community is good, but it has its limits. I suppose I need to start thinking about more age-appropriate activities — Do they let eight-year-olds on Habitat work sites? Alexis is really good about building community with the kids (More “Kid’s Fear Factor”, anyone?) but I do want to expose them to the larger world. They need to connect to people who don’t have their privilege or youth.
Yes, great questions about community. I’ve been wondering too. I’ve been frustrated to find that many times community seems to require a formal commitment, such as scouting, church, schools. It’s hard to find people who will build relationships with each other consistently “for no reason” other than to love each other. Thanks for reading and continuing the conversation…
Julie
Ah, just drag the kids along. Most folks get used to it.