6.1 THE FAMILY 128 THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY AND PARENTING The origin of the word family goes back to the Latin familia, which included also the servants living in the same house. What is your personal idea of a family? After reading the definition in the glossary, can you provide an example of a household that is not just a family? ONLINE RESOURCES Parenting styles to fulfil: soddisfare household: persone che vivono insieme nella stessa casa o appartamento, spesso una famiglia praise: lode sibling: fratello o sorella, senza distinzione di genere 264 SOCIETY HELPS Authoritarian Permissive Authoritative Uninvolved Definition of family The word family usually refers to a group of people united by marriage, blood, or adoption, who live in a single household and interact with each other in their respective social positions, i.e. parents, children, and siblings. However, what really makes a family is the parentchild relationship. ensure the children s happiness, health, or success in life. However, as research shows, the parents can make a difference with their approach. The best things to do are building a strong network of caring adults and spending quality time with one s children in order to encourage them to build positive relationships with other adults. Parenting Being a parent is not an easy task, on the contrary it is rather challenging, and it is essentially a job that is learnt by doing, often inspired by one s own experience as a child. Some people choose to be parents, especially in the case of adoptions; for others it simply happens, but this does not mean they will not be good parents. Some other people prepare themselves for the task by reading books on how to raise children. There is a lot of information on the matter, but no guaranteed method to Parenting styles There are basically four types of parenting style: authoritative, which, according to experts, is the ideal style because it: provides guidance by setting goals and limits; encourages through praise and celebrates results; develops a positive relationship that includes time to play and have fun; provides rules to promote a healthy development and self-discipline; permissive, when parents are their children s best friend and do not play the role of a parent; authoritarian, when parents set strict rules and punishments, but do not let their children grow into adulthood; neglectful (or uninvolved), when parents fulfil their children s basic needs, but pay little attention to them and, as a consequence, the children might have trouble in controlling their emotions.