From Mother's School to modern services - The development of the concept of family education and its current meaning

Parents today find themselves in a difficult position. On the one hand, they are expected not only to offer their children the best upbringing and education possible, but also to prepare them well for the demands of modern life. On the other hand, society does not make it easy for them to fulfill these tasks. Changes in society and family life demand ever-greater adaptability. At the same time, they make it hard to get hold of the knowledge and resources, which are necessary for family life to function properly. There is a long history both of complaining about the lack of parental ability and of demanding support for parents in coping with their assignment. This article outlines the path from Comenius's first reflections on the subject up to the concept of family education as a modem and future-oriented service. The starting point of the following remarks and the argument for a modem family education is the increasing discrepancy between changes in the social structure and the ever-greater demands put upon upbringing in the family.