Yeah. Why be hard and fast? Allow for flexibility.
Better business. -- Geoff DiMasi P'unk Avenue 215 755 1330 punkave.com On Jan 10, 2008, at 11:36 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Y'all, > Thanks for so many thoughts on this. It is so interesting for me to > feel myself leaning heavily toward a no-kids policy when, as I > mentioned in my original post, I used to take my kid EVERYWHERE with > me. (He probably saw Jonathan Richman play at least six times before > he turned five.) My reasons were: couldn't afford childcare, single > parent with no other parent to leave the kid with and, most > importantly, a desire to raise him as part of the community. I didn't > want to leave him at home-- I wanted him to see the world and learn > how to conduct himself in it. The goal, if I do say so for myself, was > met nicely. He does great out in the world. > > But now, the thought of going to a coworking space and having kids > running around is so unappealing to me WITH LOTS AND LOTS of respect > to parents who have little kids and parents who, like me, want their > kids out in the world. Funny how time changes us, right? > > One of my colleagues at our (pending) space, had the thought that we > don't need to make a hard and fast policy since folks paying hourly > rates will want to maximize work time in those hour(s). I think this > is a valid point but then... I also think we're bound to get at least > a few moms and dads of newborns who want to bring them in. > > A major goal is to have a firm but gentle policy that somehow conveys > we are not being anti-baby/anti-kid but that we have an idea for what > our space is... getting back to the idea we can't be all things for > all comers. > > We'll keep working on how to best get this across. Again, thanks for > the feedback. > spike > www.launchpadcoworking.com > > On Jan 9, 11:34 am, Geoff DiMasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> What she said. >> >> :) >> >> -- >> Geoff DiMasi >> P'unk Avenue >> 215 755 1330 >> punkave.com >> >> On Jan 9, 2008, at 12:25 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >> >> >>> Hi there ~ >> >>> I'm the bookkeeper for Office Nomads, a coworking space in Seattle, >>> and I'm also a work-from-home mom of three (yes, three!) >>> homeschooled >>> kids, ages 3, 7, and 9. >> >>> When Jacob (founder and my brother) was first polling for interest >>> in >>> getting a coworking space started here, he got a lot of responses >>> from >>> families wanting a local place where they could work in a relaxed >>> atmosphere where their kids were welcome. It's easy to bring a >>> newborn to any office for the first 4-6 months, while they're >>> sleeping >>> a lot, strapped to mom's chest, or otherwise easy to entertain >>> quietly. It gets harder with a fussy baby, and once they're itching >>> to crawl around and get into stuff, they need a kid-centered and >>> baby- >>> proof environment. It's simply not appropriate for parents to bring >>> their kids to a coffee shop and set them loose for a couple of >>> hours, >>> yet we parents ALSO have a need to work in the company of others. >>> Childcare is okay for some people, but for those (like me) with a >>> budgetary aversion to passing their salaries directly off to a >>> daycare >>> center, it makes little sense. What to do? >> >>> Office Nomads has chosen to make our space welcoming to kids for >>> SHORT >>> stop-ins - I bring my kids in to the office on Wednesdays for an >>> hour >>> to have a meeting with Jacob and Susan, and we give them run of a >>> big >>> unused room to play with a bunch of yoga balls. An hour or so is >>> just >>> about all they can do without disturbing the rest of the coworkers, >>> because the majority of our members and drop-in clients are used to >>> working in a quiet adult space...I couldn't fathom bringing my kids >>> into the office every day for 8 hours; I would have a hard time >>> getting anything done if I was constantly trying to keep their noise >>> or energy levels at a static low. So I still work from home, and >>> just >>> keep associated with Office Nomads as a resource. >> >>> HOWEVER, I do believe that a very intentional community of parents >>> could set up a coworking space where their kids were not only >>> welcome, >>> but part of the natural flow. A relatively soundproof room could be >>> dedicated to the noisier activities, they could set up a >>> breastfeeding >>> corner, a childcare worker could be hired to keep things rolling and >>> provide some supplemental supervision, and the community could be >>> specifically focused on blending family and work life. Parents save >>> money on daycare, keep their kids close and connected to them, and >>> can >>> integrate their social, professional, and family lives. I think the >>> benefits would outweigh the cost, even if it would be more expensive >>> and delicate to set up and operate. (I can specifically imagine >>> leasing or purchasing an existing daycare center or small >>> schoolhouse >>> and converting a classroom or two into an office for the parents.) >> >>> So I guess what I'm saying is that I think coworking spaces will >>> each >>> have their own policies about kids (and pets too) depending on the >>> intentions of the founders and community members. There's room >>> within >>> the movement for a lot of variety, and my heart SINGS considering >>> the >>> strange and quirky possibilities of bringing people together. >> >>> Kara Dugaw >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> bookkeeper >>> Office Nomads >>> Seattle, WA > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
