"Otherwise, we'd probably be living in a suburb with lots of families and a house and a yard and a garage. But then on the plus side, it's hard to separate our family and ourselves, because we really enjoy living in the house."

Perrone says it is important to make sure the children of tutors and masters do not interact exclusively with 18 to 22-year-olds.

"Clearly, there is a great need for them also to be engaged with children their own age," Perrone says. "I'm sure their parents are providing those things for them."

Through play groups and daycare, most parents interviewed say they do just that.

Sozinho says that he sometimes wonders if the kids miss out on being with other kids.

"I get a feeling that these kids can be kind of isolated, living in this kind of environment--especially Leverett Towers," he says. "But I imagine the parents try as much as possible to get them involved with other kids."

Growing Up

Since most tutors stay in houses for only a few years--until their dissertations or residencies are done--they say they will move on to "real" houses as their children grow up, but not because they feel the undergraduate houses are a bad influence.

Hafrey said that his nine-and four-year-olds might have different attitudes toward house life as they grow up.

"My guess is that as kids get older, as they move into their teen years, they really do need a sense of privacy," Hafrey says.

But for right now, the distance in ages is perfectly adequate. "What's happening, then, is that they are getting closer in age to the age of the students, but they aren't students, and so that distance makes itself felt." Hafrey says.

To Raise a Child

All in all, parents say, the Harvard houses, with their vibrant intellectual life, diverse social life and sense of community, seem to be an ideal place in which to raise their children.

"It has been like living in a small town or a town within a city, having a kid [in the house], and that really tickles," Cryns says.

Gomez agrees that the house "feels good" to her and her husband.

"Because we've only lived in a university setting, this is all we know," she says. "I think it's making [Sofia] very social."

And Hafrey says the house has provided a real home for Nathaniel and Benjamin.

"It has been exactly what we had hoped--a good environment for kids to grow up in," he says.

"There's that expression--it takes a village to raise a child--and in many ways I think that's what the house is," Hafrey says. "A village."