Susan-Ashton

Today each family member seems to take for granted the right to a room of his or her own and a corridor by which to access it. We guard our right to personal space, free of intrusion. Many kids today have their own telephones, televisions, and personal computers in their bedrooms. The latest custom homes equip each bedroom with its own bathroom as well; master suites may have two flu bathrooms. Such homes are, in fact, lavish palaces replete with suites that make it possible to live in isolation.
With architecture facilitating independence and a demand for more space instead of sharing what we have, has the family gained or lost? is it unreasonable to expect family members to take turns in a single shower? Is it unfair to have to put up with a sibling snoring in the same room or even in the same bed? Has something gone missing?
I wonder.
Apparently I’m not the only one. The 2002 edition of Frontier House, produced by Public Broadcasting, followed three families who homesteaded 1880s style in the Montana wilderness. After living four months in a one-room cabin they built themselves, one family returned to their 5,000-square-foot home in Malibu with a dramatic realization.The mother found their California house too big, saying she never knew if anybody else was home. Her daughters complained that they were bored since returning to their affluent lifestyle. They spent most of their time at the mall since there was little else to do.The son claimed that he missed spending time with his father where he was included in the work and where he learned to hunt and fish. The father, back to his corporate job, missed the
togetherness of the family sleeping side by side in the cabin loft where there were no walls or corridors to divide them.

3 Responses to “The right to a room”

Leave a Reply