Adolescence is a very complicated stage of development to accompany with serenity and empathy because it requires adults a combination of patience, listening, and constant understanding. The adolescent, submerged in a web of physical, cognitive, psychological, emotional, and social changes, often appears at home irritable and with little desire to share everything that worries or bothers them. An attitude that, far from being a personal rejection, usually reflects the need to protect oneself, to understand oneself, and to find one's own place in the world. In this context, the adult perspective becomes key: interpreting these behaviors calmly and without judgment can make the difference between raising walls or keeping communication bridges open.A family moment when talking to children stops being easy: what arose spontaneously in childhood – explaining how the day at school went, sharing worries, or asking curious questions – progressively transforms into a true odyssey, where managing to exchange more than four words without tension, argument, or anger appearing becomes a challenge that often bewilders and exhausts adults. And it is precisely in these difficult moments when parents' patience and calm can make the difference between building walls or keeping communication bridges open.

At three months old, Pau was rolling over, and by nine months he was already walking. As a baby, he was a chatterbox. We read together a lot, and this, in addition to reinforcing his literacy development, also strengthened our bond, his curiosity, and his imagination. He would run out of the house, his eyes always sparkling.

Having children brought back unresolved wounds from our own childhood. This allowed me to reconnect with the child I once was, reclaim her, and learn to nurture her. I also had the opportunity to understand my own parents. Motherhood places us all in a vulnerable position, but at the same time, it bestows upon us a wisdom that is difficult to find elsewhere. Raising children confronts us with our own shortcomings. During my son's early years, I recovered many memories of when I was a child caring for a younger sibling.

This weekend, Mada is looking after her nephews Vera and Ibai, aged nine and six, respectively. Her sister-in-law, the children's mother, is preparing for competitive exams, so she's using Saturday morning to study at the Ignasi Iglesias-Can Fabra library in Sant Andreu, while Mada takes the two children and her seven-year-old daughter, Ona, for a walk around the neighborhood. At midday, the children and their parents will all gather at Mada's house for lunch. Although they live in different neighborhoods and each cousin has a different circle of friends, both families try to see each other often. "We alternate Saturday lunches between our house and theirs," explains Mada, who emphasizes how the three children enjoy the evening the most. They also occasionally babysit for the children. "That way, the parents can enjoy some free time when we need it or when we feel like getting away without the kids," she notes. These are moments that Mada considers ideal for enriching their relationship and doing different things, "but also for learning about other routines and ways of doing things, and for them to understand that every family can have different customs and rules." In the summer, Mada's family spends the season with their caravan at the campsite, and sometimes Ona receives visits from her cousins. "All of us being there, sleeping together and playing and running around the campsite in semi-freedom is quite an adventure!" she emphasizes. Mada and her brother—Vera and Ibai's father—are from Cantabria, so during the summer they also take the opportunity to visit family. "Our other brother and our nephews David and Regina live there, and although we don't see each other as much as they'd like, when all five cousins ​​get together it's fantastic," she explains.

Before finding this converted shop in Sant Adrià de Besòs, Carlos Arturo Murillo and Lilian Rosibel Flores had been "deceived" in Esplugues de Llobregat. A man had promised them work and a place to live, and their desperation to get ahead led them to accept the offer without considering whether it could be, as it ultimately was, a scam. "He stole everything from us. He didn't pay us what he had promised, and we found ourselves out on the street," says Murillo, sitting on the downstairs sofa, keeping a watchful eye on the front door in case the heavy rain starts to leak inside.

Lately, and perhaps it's just a coincidence, I've heard, seen, or read several cases of people who have reconnected with part of their biological family as adults. They are very different stories, but they all share a common thread: the interest and curiosity that everyone feels to know where they come from, even if their life has seemingly been without any hardship until the moment of this discovery.

Being a parent is a wonderful experience, but also a bewildering one. I have two children, and although I try to give them the best of myself, I often feel that I'm not raising them with the same confidence and ease that my parents had when they raised me. They seemed to know exactly how to do it: what limits to set, what freedoms to give, what values ​​to instill. I, on the other hand, have many more doubts.

Christmas undoubtedly has many good, even endearing, aspects. I'm a firm believer in its traditions. However, it's undeniable that this time of year puts us through a family stress test, because when we have to love each other intensely in a confined space, the difficulties porcupines face in keeping each other warm without hurting themselves on their quills quickly become apparent. It seems fitting that, in the midst of the post-Christmas hangover, when everyday life returns to the forefront, we ask ourselves how we survived this stress test. And, while we're at work, we worry about how to become the perfect family.

"I consider myself a somewhat atypical grandfather because, for a number of reasons, including the fact that I don't live in the same city as my grandchildren, I'm a long-distance grandfather. Also, because of my personality and hobbies, I have a pretty busy life with a number of activities I do regularly, and therefore, I don't have Josep available either." His case is less common, but increasingly prevalent in a context where intensive care for grandchildren has been a social pillar. Although there's no manual for being a grandparent, the data reflects a well-established pattern: 42% of Spanish grandparents (between 55 and 69 years old) with minor grandchildren take care of them daily or at least once a week, mainly because the parents can't (41%). These tasks include picking them up from school or extracurricular activities (39%) and doing leisure activities like going to the park or for a snack (39%). according to the V Mapfre Foundation Senior Consumer Barometer (2025)

Throughout the day, Catalan women dedicate 1.17 hours more to housework and caregiving than men. However, they also bear the burden of planning and organizing everything that needs to be done for the home and family: what to buy, what to cook for dinner, and coordinating pick-up times for children or grandparents. While the gap has narrowed in recent years, this is not because men are becoming more involved in managing household chores, but rather because they have reduced their time spent on these tasks. According to the 2024 Time Use Survey of Catalonia, published this Thursday by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia using European standards, women dedicate 3 hours and 17 minutes daily to these types of tasks, compared to 2 hours for men, "which maintains an inequality of over 64%."

The year is drawing to a close, and one of the best times to go to the theater as a family is upon us. Most theaters across the country are filled with our beloved Pastorets, essential to any theater group. But beyond the quintessential classics, programmers are filling professional theaters with engaging shows for children. From the new Mic show to classics like The Little Prince From the Raluy circus to the Ateneu Popular 9 Barris, these are the most enticing productions to visit the theaters during the Christmas holidays.

Suffocated between two diaper sizes. Invisible amidst digital calendars that remind us of appointments with other people's "first-degree" relatives. Crushed by an army of human resources that treats us as if we were being given "vacation" to demand hard-won rights. Buried in a system that thrives on us, women in our forties and fifties who care, work, and care, care, care, care until others take over and care for us, care, care, care; or not.

I often tell myself, "Everything passes." It helps me to remember that nothing lasts forever, neither the good nor the bad. I try to let the bad things take up less of my time, and I live the good things fully. I also realize that many of the things that worry or bother me now are the same things I'll miss later on.

I'm Clot's daughter, and we had a cat at home. At night I'd hear him running around the apartment, and when we got up, we'd often find a dead cockroach on the bath mat. He was the one who hunted them and left us these little "gifts." It made me very anxious.

Telling a bedtime story, making up a tale if the child throws a tantrum at mealtimes, or entertaining them by explaining all sorts of interesting facts when they're in a waiting room, a restaurant, or at the bus stop. Some parents still do these things, but others prefer to give their children a mobile phone or tablet to keep them entertained. When screens take center stage, certain habits that allow family members to connect and spend quality time together—such as reading—are lost.

If he worked full-time, Mirko would have to work seven and a half hours, but he's been working five and a half for the last six years. During this time, he's taken a reduced work schedule to balance work and raising his three children with his wife. They also have two children, one each, from previous relationships. So, in total, there are days or weeks when they have five children. They've lived in Barcelona for over twenty-five years, but they don't have extended family; he's German and she's from Venezuela, and therefore they've had to be very organized over the years.

Adam Martín Skilton (Tossa de Mar, 1973) is a journalist and writer specializing in health. He won the 2024 Ondas Award for his podcast on mental disorders. Ordinary people. The second season will arrive in early 2026.

To understand Adam Martín's childhood, it's necessary to start with his parents. "My mother hitchhiked to Tossa de Mar with some friends from England when she was 18, in '62. And she never left. She met my father, who worked at my grandfather's bar, Casa Martín, and they married six years later."

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Between four and six in the afternoon, while his parents are still working, Luca Azañón typically spends time with his maternal grandparents during the week. They pick him up from daycare, have snacks and play together at home, and go to the park or shopping. When his two-and-a-half-year-old son falls ill, Hilario and Jacinta also take care of him. His parents, Carlos and Miriam, point out that the grandparents' role "is essential" in being able to manage everything, especially when his work shifts change and he has to call on his in-laws to care for the child. "My shifts rotate, so if we didn't have their support, maybe I should ask to be transferred to another department where the shifts were more consistent," Carlos acknowledges. Beyond being a vital resource when it comes to balancing work and family life, the grandparents and grandson also enjoy leisure time and free time with the rest of the family.

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I've always thought that if we focused more on teaching in high schools and students were already educated at home, we would see exponential improvements in results. If we look ridiculous in the PISA reports, it's because learning the content is no longer prioritized. This is unthinkable at university. I have a relative who is a university professor, and I asked him how he handled the issue of cell phones, now that we've banned them in secondary school because they're distracting. He confessed to me that many of his students don't even know their names. He teaches classes without taking attendance, and sometimes they take notes, sometimes they fall asleep, and sometimes he sees how they waste time on their phones. The red line is not to interrupt the teacher's concentration. Therefore, the priority is "teaching."

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Nile has seen Figaro(rk) and he liked discovering the character of Figaro, the evolution of Figaro influencer until he discovered how to be a revolutionary today. He also liked the songs and the fact that the most famous musical pieces from the three operas starring Figaro were featured in the show. He also liked the scenery, the costumes, and the fact that the lead actor was a young man who performed so well. The play speaks to the importance of the small revolutions that each of us can make.

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