Family life in Great Britain

dropdown The contemporary British child doesn’t have a lot of companionship from brothers and sisters, because the average family has only one or two children. Most British children live with their parents at least until they finish school at the age of 17 or 18. Then many of them go away to college, leaving some parents sad and lonely in their empty nest and others enjoying their release from parental responsibilities. dropdown But many adults stay with their parents during their college years or return home after graduation. Today’s parents cannot even be sure that their married children have moved out forever. After a divorce they may return to the parental home temporarily or even on a long-term basis. dropdown Older people take pride in their independence, enjoy their freedom and don’t want to be a burden to their children. The telephone, the car and the airplane keep them in close contact even when they live in different parts of the country. dropdown Members of family — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins-keep in touch, but they see less of each other than they used to. This is because people often move away from home town to work and so the family becomes scattered. Christmas is the traditional season for reunions.