| Last week, I talked about how society looks at children | | | | produce purveyor'. |
| and how that in turn creates the parenting methods in | | | | For older children the entire school experience may |
| use. This week, I want to concentrate on peak oil and | | | | change. I don't know what it's like where you live but |
| the upside of the coming transition. Too often, we | | | | where I live, schools are often built far away from the |
| dwell on the negative and although many of the | | | | people they serve. To make them accessible, giant |
| changes may be difficult to contend with, they may | | | | yellow school buses meander their way along the |
| bring with them unanticipated benefits. | | | | highways and byways picking up kids and taking them |
| The first and perhaps most obvious change is that as | | | | to school. As prices rise, this is going to become an |
| fuel becomes precipitously expensive, two car families | | | | increasingly large part of both the school board and |
| are likely to become one car families. Most people | | | | the family's budget to the point that it may eventually |
| would probably consider this a bad thing but let's for a | | | | become out of reach. As a result, many parents are |
| moment look at how it might change our lives for the | | | | going to keep their kids at home. This will lead to a |
| better. For the vast majority of Canadian and | | | | surge in home schooling but it also may spearhead a |
| American families who do not have access to decent | | | | resurgence of the true 'community school' in which |
| public transportation, life is likely to become much more | | | | teachers are members of the community they live in |
| home-based. Whether parents work in the home or | | | | and tasks as a community, are shared out. |
| outside the home, daycare is only practical if it's | | | | For young adults, school may finish earlier with further |
| available in the community in which you live and as | | | | education in standard colleges or universities becoming |
| such, community will suddenly take on a new | | | | more elitist. Although this has an obvious downside, it |
| relevance. If you're an at home mom or dad, instead of | | | | may also challenge us to redefine what we regard as |
| driving your kids to playschool or play dates in | | | | 'achieving success' and lead to the development of |
| neighboring communities, you're more likely to involve | | | | practical skills and opportunities that are currently |
| your child either in a community school or be content | | | | undervalued or unobtainable. For those that don't go on |
| with the unstructured play opportunities that will spring | | | | to further education, multi family dwellings are going to |
| up as a result of more people staying at home. This is | | | | become more commonplace. It's likely your children will |
| likely to have additional benefits. Released from the | | | | stay on with you and not in a temporary way. Instead |
| organizational paranoia that many parents display, kids | | | | of society viewing older children that live at home in a |
| are likely to become more resourceful. As their | | | | negative light, we are likely to have an altogether |
| children's resourcefulness grows, parents will find | | | | different view. Right now, we perceive older kids who |
| themselves taking on other activities with the result | | | | still live at home as unwilling to leave the nest and |
| that ad hoc gardens are likely to start springing up on | | | | unable to cope on their own. In a changing world, we |
| common and private ground. These productive | | | | are more likely to view their presence as helpful. They |
| gardens will provide children with valuable and real | | | | are after all, another adult who can contribute to the |
| learning experiences with the added benefits of helping | | | | family's economic well-being. A relationship based on |
| them become more connected to the land around | | | | mutual need and the respect it generates, is likely to |
| them. We might even see the sense of 'backyard | | | | create much richer relationships for all involved. |
| farming' with animals such as chickens, rabbits and | | | | Children will also benefit from multi-generational contact |
| other small creatures that can provide us with a more | | | | as elderly relatives live with the rest of the family. This |
| diverse, healthy and local dining experience. | | | | would create a greater appreciation of older people |
| The car when it's used will be used with care. To cut | | | | along with the past they represent. They would once |
| down on trips, progressive small business owners will | | | | again become useful, perhaps caring for smaller |
| start to offer the delivery of many of our staple | | | | children or using their time to teach forgotten skills. |
| products. Instead of visiting a grocery store as we do | | | | If this all sounds remarkably familiar, that's because it is. |
| now, we may instead choose our groceries online and | | | | Welcome to the world of your grandparents or your |
| have them delivered. A delivery charge is likely to be | | | | great grandparents, as the case may be. Kind of like |
| vastly less costly and far more efficient than each | | | | 'plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose' or 'the more |
| individual family undertaking grocery trips. We may | | | | things change, the more they stay the same.' In a very |
| even have the return of the 'milk man' or 'fresh | | | | real sense, it's back to the future. |