We can consider the family as the place where pains, joys, affections and problems are shared among the various members that compose it, that is, parents, children and siblings. Family is synonymous with home, it means growing up and preparing to face the challenges of life outside the four walls of the home, it means learning ideals such as love for relatives, which is not comparable to the love felt for a person, even if both are undoubtedly strong and relevant feelings. Furthermore, from the family we receive priceless values essential for the future, for example respect, mutual affection, that complicity and confidence that is established between two brothers, despite the frequent quarrels.
For 70% of Italian teenagers, the family is the North Star, a fixed point of reference in everyday life and also in difficult situations, it is a certainty both for the present and for the future. Moreover, among young people, the percentage of those who intend to build a family and have two or more children remains high, having the financial means to raise and feed them.
As shown by a survey, within the family, the father figure has become less relevant than in the past because often the father’s ideas are not taken into consideration, on the contrary the figure of the mother prevails as a stable person.
Nowadays, however, not all teenagers like spending time with their parents or staying at home with them, this is also given by the welcome that is offered by the places most frequented by teenagers because any place has an area dedicated entirely to young people, who adapt to the atmosphere they frequent and sometimes give less importance to the family.
Can we therefore say that the family for young people is only a makeshift? Absolutely not, adolescents are very attached to their parents and siblings, they care a lot for their loved ones and also consider small gestures of affection that an adult would not notice. Even if they spend a lot of time with friends and meet new people, it doesn’t mean that the family is negligible. Regarding the frequent discussions, it is normal that in this age of change in which a part of adolescents is still anchored to more childish attitudes while the other half has become adults there are misunderstandings between parents and children but the most important thing is resolve all issues in the best possible way and without ruining the parent-child relationship, which is a central point during the growth process.
Elisa Dell’Agostino 3BL
