Chapter 4. Lesson 4

A typical Russian family in a major city consists of the parents, one child and often a grandmother or grandfather or even both. While urban families are more likely to have just one child, it is not unusual to see large families in the rural areas. In the cities as well as in the country, parents will often live with their adult, married children and help raise the grandchildren. This extended family provides a certain degree of stability and security to the children and alleviates the necessity of arranging for day-care outside the home. The economic situation in Russia and the Former Soviet Union dictates today (and has historically) that both parents work to support the family. However, some things have changed and are continuing to change; you can now find mothers who do not work outside the home, though the concept of a "house-husband" is still foreign to Russians.

The use of words which indicate relationships between family members is somewhat fluid. Children will often refer to adults (their parents' acquaintances and strangers alike) as тётя Aunt or дядя Uncle. You may also hear people refer to elderly individuals, with whom they are not acquainted, as бабушка Grandma or дедушка Grandpa. The form of address will always be Вы in these cases. Though there are terms for cousins: двоюродный 6paт (for males) and двоюродная сестра (for females), Russians will often simply use брат or сестра.