Family and family life Autor: Petr Vostr² I think, family is base of the society. Now, I will speak about families in English speaking countries and then about families in Czech republic. So, there is a trend towards smaller families. In the postwar years many Americans families had four or five children, but now many young people think that zero population growth. The marrying age has dropped elsewhere and young people often start a family before they have learned to cook, in the case of student before they get their degrees and begin to earn money. While in this country is usual for parents to give some money to their children for setting up house, in the USA parents often lend to young couple money to buy a home or rent an apartment. In the Britain, middle and working class mothers do not usually go back to work until the child is five or six and starts going to school. But a growing number of children under five are in play groups, nursery schools or kindergartens. The sons of upper-middle and upper-class families are often sent, from about the boys only return for school holidays. It is less common in Britain than in Czech republic - and this holds good for the USA - for three generations to live together in one home or in the same town. People move house very often to get a better job or simply to have a change in their live. Czech young couples often prefer living near their parents. When the father has to work all day, and the mother is busy at home, usually the grandparents can help in various ways when the young couple need it. I think, it is not good. My parents never wanted help from their grandfather and grandmother. My mother have opinion, that ever must help to himself. So, if they had some problems - for example my mother was ill, she had to endure without help from parents. Parents in Britain and the USA generally require less obedience from their children than Czech parents. Their small children may sometimes appear naughty, but when they are twelve or so, they are more independent than Czech children of that age. But modern children elsewhere now usually find their recreation outside the family, in youth clubs and in scuh activities as hiking or dancing. Each age group has its own way of life. The result is often that parents that parents and children do not understand each other very well. So, I don't know, where is better situation in family life. I think, that's good, that parents in USA prefer independence of their children, but I think, that it leads to some grade of disunion. So, I describe my family. I think, we have standard Czech family. I have mother, father and brother. Mother is 44 years old and she takes care about grandmother. Father is 49 years old and he works as technologist in Chemopetrol. My brother is 15 years old and he studies Elementary school. He likes techniques and he wants study Technical school. I said, that mother takes care about grandmother, so fifth member of our family is grandmother. She is 70 years old.