The American Family

[mindstalk]

Study of middle class American families:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450004577277482565674646.html?fb_ref=wsj_share_FB&fb_source=home_oneline

American children seemed relatively helpless compared with those in
other cultures she and colleagues had observed.

Another video clip shows a girl around 5 years of age in Peru's Amazon
region climbing a tall tree to harvest papaya, and helping haul logs
thicker than her leg to stoke a fire.

In 22 of 30 families, children frequently ignored or resisted appeals to
help, according to a study published in the journal Ethos in 2009. In
the remaining eight families, the children weren't asked to do much.

Relevant report: anecdotal observations of French childraising: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577196931457473816.html
and thoughts on "the teenage mind", caught between early puberty and late responsibility
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181351486558984.html