In the present study, the relationship between middle class parents and children were analyzed during the transition phase towards maturity, when children look for autonomy and freedom to for fulfillment as separate individuals. The study was conducted on 10 families - 20 parents and 18 children - and the data were collected during taped interviews held according to a semistructured outline. Data analysis indicated some changes that mainly manifest as closer proximity of the parents to their children and availability for dialogue and negotiation with them. However, this rapprochement does not eliminate the impasses on either side, which are rooted in the contradiction between the fulfillment of collective family interests, expressed as a family project, and the individual aspirations of the children.
family; parent-child relations; social class; schools