I read a blog recently about a family who's made several moves during their children's upbringing. The mom of these children, who have now left the house for college or to marry, talked about the changes each home brought to their family. This included how their family related to each other, what they did when they were in the home, and in what ways they grew closer to each other. All of these things I've found to affect my own young family, though we have only resided in 2 homes since the children were born.
An open concept floorplan without the availability of a recreation room makes for a very close and engaged family. You have no choice when winter arrives and the only places to congregate within the home are the bedrooms or the main space living room. We've had this and, while it was nice to always be together and see what the children were doing, one extra room would have been a bonus for times when one wants to separate and get some reading time or alone time. I think about older children trying to do their homework and the choice is limited to the chaos of this space or the bedroom. I always chose the bedroom as a teenager, myself.
Then there is the home with many rooms, the family room, the living room, the rec room, the office, the bedroom, the ....etc. Often we find these homes here in Keene, NH as the typical older home built over 100 years ago, may be a colonial or New Englander style home which rambles on and on room after walk-through room. A family can easily go about their evening after a school day and work, without really seeing what each other is doing.
Neither of these I see as better than the other, but moving from one home to another one might consider what it is they appreciate about their current lifestyle and how does the home contribute to that unique quality? One who is social and enjoys watching over the children as they make dinner might find themselves moving to a home that makes them anxious and unhappy if the kitchen is 2 rooms away from the living room.
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