Childhood Homes as Moral Spaces – New Conceptual Arena

Abstract

In our western cultural imagery, the idea of home is deeply embedded in a static realm of childhood we take for granted: a permanent place of comfort, security, privacy, family and continuity. However, although childhood is seen as ‘home-bound’, the importance of home decreases as children grow older and reach adulthood. In such thinking the child is regarded as competent, mature and independent when s/he moves from the parental home into his or her first accommodation. A child who stays at home for too long, on the other hand, is seen as problematic; possibly overdependent on home and unable to learn all the skills necessary for an independent adult life. (e.g., Christensen et al. 2000, 142–143.)