Community Can Increase Autonomy
Sidney and Ana live in a rural environment in which they are surrounded by a community of caring people that look out for them and help them meet their needs. As I ponder the limited scope of children’s movement in current society, I have thought about what sorts of structures, social practices and designs might help to increase the mobility and autonomy of young people. One thing I have observed is that in the context of community, children’s autonomy both in physical range of movement and ability to meet their own needs is increased. This helps to give children greater power over their own lives, making them less dependent on adults, and bringing them closer to a state of parity.
Communal contexts allow for children, especially small ones, to have more autonomy of movement.
Ana (1 ½) is able to wander about without having someone directly following her and hovering over her all the time because there are other adults around to look out for her. In this way she can have a measure of autonomy within the social setting, where she is not directly attached to any one adult, but can move about with a little more freedom.
In the kitchen, there’s often an assortment of kids and adults. If a kid needs help there is someone, not necessarily the parent, to offer a hand. Hanna made an egg for Lucas (1 ½) because he was hungry. There was no need to ask the parent for permission, just a recognition that Lucas was hungry and the ability to help him meet his need for food. Kids here are less dependent on their parents to get their needs met and have lots of people that can help them, creating a greater sense of mobility and autonomy.
At night Sidney wanted to be carried down to bed by his mom but she was already carrying Ana and dad wasn’t back yet. I heard their conversation and offered to give Sidney a ride, which he accepted. She had offered him the option of waiting for dad here at the main house, which is something she was able to do because of the communal context. A communal context provides for such an option where the child is not totally bound to the parent and the parent’s needs and can have independent choices.
What are some ways you might be able to increase freedom and autonomy for the kids in your life? Are there ways that your community or neighborhood could collaborate to create more freedom for the kids in it? Do you see yourself as the only or one of the few means through which your kids’ needs are met? What are some other possibilities for them to meet their own needs or have other resources though which to get them met?
Wonderful topic, thank you. One more thing I would add is that not all communities are created equal. I think there is an underlying assumption that you are talking about a compassionate, empathetic, responsible community, yes? I am in a variation of the community that you talk about. Though not as communal, I have enjoyed giving and receiving support from members in my community. For me, trust has been imperative.