Communicating Trust Between Parents and Their Children

Abstract

This article discusses how Danish parents and their children communicate trust. Based on Niklas Luhmann's sociological theory, the article explores new aspects of communication about alcohol-related rules. The analysis shows how the parents emphasize the importance of communicating trust, while the adolescents, on the other hand, observe the parents' communication on the basis of their own, more instrumental, logic. Trust becomes a functional solution to the parents' paradoxical situation, because it enables them to balance between a democratic family ideal, emphasizing the adolescents' independence, while taking care of risk behavior. The article draws on Danish qualitative data comprising 37 focus group interviews with adolescents (14-16 years of age) and six focus group interviews with parents.

How Can Trust Increase Children′s Understanding of Privacy for 21st Century Learning Environment?

“…I don't to put any restriction on him because he never needs them." Spy Guy's mother said that trust permits the trustee (Spy Guy) to do whatever he wants as long as it's in line with the trustor's expectations [52]. "I told him I trusted him, not to be silly" is a positive expression of confidence in a child's ability [23].…”