So far we only have one child, but we want to have many more. And we want our children to have good friends with whom to share their jungle paradise. We are creating a young children's play space under a yet-to-be-planted craboo tree which carpets the ground with many cherry-sized, deliciously sweet and cheesecake-like, red or yellow fruits in August. Children love to gather and eat these as do we though some say they are an aquired taste. Craboo has naturally emerged at the center of the commune filling the space between the communal dining/meeting building and the communal kitchen.
We would love to have a children's clothing exchange system and a commune school where kids can learn at their own pace and about the things that interest them. And by working with their parents and the other commune members they also learn the arts of living. Already, aedrin, who is 2, can carry firewood, water plants, help with washing and hanging up clothes, clear the table, gather wild fruits from the ground and many other tasks. We've heard that Belize has laws about immunizations but we've not been questioned about having aedrin immunized and of the 26 families living near us only one of them may have immunized their children. Home schooling is also not a problem.
Aedrin spends much of his time with derek trying to help out, watching derek work or just amusing himself, and he only comes to me when he gets hungery or tired or to show me something special he has found. I find the time i spend apart from aedrin is very important to keep me relaxed and and for aedrin and i to communicate well. If we spend too much time together, i find it hard to listen to him and he also stops listening to me. I think that such space is important for all mothers.
I believe it is important for children to grow up along with other young companions. Aedrin would love to have a little buddy with whom to laugh and run and explore this new world. And derek and i also yearn for companionship. Our lives lack a healthy social environment. We look forward to the weekly visits we receive from our generous and kind neighbours, but we would love to have others with whom to celebrate, play games, sing and dance, have intellectual discussions, share our work and the benefits and products of it.
