Preface

Modern societies have evolved to make life easier. Many political systems are (apparently) devoted to attaining a good population level of welfare and social security for families and their children. Over the past 70 years, national and international organisations and agencies have developed with the aim of protecting children's rights, human rights, universal access to education, the health and safety of individuals, and their freedom. Cooperation across nations has made it possible to offer support for those who are most in need as a result of natural or man-made disasters. Furthermore, the continual evolution of technological advances facilitates our ability to communicate across distances. Breaking news almost instantly reaches televisions and mobile devices broadcasted by media corporations and spread on the Internet. Every day we use gadgets developed to simplify daily tasks that used to require great effort in the past. For instance, while they are asleep, parents can now monitor their young children by placing small video and audio-capturing devices in their rooms. Driving children to daycare is currently safer, thanks to special seats. In many countries, education is becoming more digital, and children are taught digital skills from a very young age. In some way, modern societies are societies of the future while, at the same time, dealing with problems of the past. Like in the past, or possibly even more so today, children are adrift in a world that, in many ways, forgets them and does not understand their needs.

This book highlights the challenges that children and their parents face when adjusting to modern life's complexities. The first section opens with an introductory chapter focused on the dual nature of the parental role and how it is defined culturally. The author discusses this duality and highlights elements of evolutionary theory and the importance of the natural and cultural environments.

The impact of being raised in a dysfunctional family on the child's well-being and mental health is the object of debate in Chapter 2, which serves as a timeline reminder of the value of a family system's healthy functioning. Interparental conflict, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and severed ties between the child and the parent are pointed out as risk factors for a child's behavioural and emotional problems.

Chapter 3 addresses the issue of work–family balance and how today's fast-paced societies, where performance and productivity are highly regarded, affect children and their families. A literature review grounds the discussion of work–family conflict, hustle culture, family vulnerabilities, and the importance of egalitarianism to achieve a necessary balance.

Chapter 4 analyses the plastic expression of Uruguayan children, which uncovers their isolation and loneliness, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to expectations, the outcomes reveal that children's isolation was not due to government-forced confinement but rather to the low density of their bonding networks, both internal and external to the family, depleting them of their potential social capital. Adults were portrayed as being sick or armed and ready for violence rather than as being nurturing and supportive.

Chapter 5 examines universal parenting training programs in Sweden, a country with a long tradition of parental assistance, that since the early 2000s have been implemented as a primary preventive effort. The author concludes that the idea of "rights," as they are outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, is not an intrinsic value of these programs. Although children may internalise democratic principles as a guide for handling interactions with others, including their parents, the author emphasises how family dynamics and the child's existence, in general, are largely governed by adult norms.

The book's second section collects topics related to themes of migration and child upbringing. Nowadays—perhaps more than ever—many individuals are forced to migrate because of war, violence, poverty, unsustainable living circumstances, and climate change. Moreover, as the world becomes more interconnected, employment and personal ties can also cause relocation to another country. When children are socialised in a culture different from that of their parents, conflict occurs almost inevitably. It is natural for adolescents to rely on their peers, the school, and the community, where they integrate as a reference to construct their system of values, challenging their parents' values. In extreme situations, the parenting role may be severely disrupted and eventually taken over by others when children are left behind in their home countries and towns.

Chapter 6 discusses the challenges that refugee parents encounter when they enter the host country. The inability of parents to communicate with educators due to language barriers makes it difficult for them to interact with the new education system. The author interviewed refugee parents who had recently arrived in Norway and concluded that while both parties have good intentions for cooperation and integration, misunderstandings caused by the situation's complexity create uncertainties. The degree to which children adjust to the parenting behaviour in the new nation depends on whether the uncertainties are resolved in the medium term or result in parents rejecting the new culture.

Migration also comes in other forms. In some countries, parents migrate spurred by poverty, leaving their children behind either in the care of other relatives or, as discussed in Chapter 7, in the care of the older child who assumes parental responsibilities for the young children. In such cases, the community plays a significant role in supporting the child-headed household. Care is provided through schools in addition to education. In this chapter, the outcome of interviews with school personnel and children are discussed regarding the benefits and drawbacks of the "Educare" system, which was put in place in Zimbabwean schools with the intention of ensuring the welfare of children.

Finally, Chapter 8 examines the situation of unaccompanied migrant children in a city that borders South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as formal and informal

foster care arrangements in place to help the children overcome their more urgent problems. Empathetic cooperation by the community neighbours was a vital resource for the children estranged from their parents. However, the emotional toll of being accidentally or incidentally separated from the care and security that parents are expected to provide will probably leave a permanent impression on the children's lives.

> **Teresa Silva** Mid Sweden University, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sundsvall, Sweden

Section 1
