"I try to take my children to the playground or to the movies during my free time," shares Mrs. Maria Davos for "Ta Nea" newspaper. The most valuable thing for he 40-year old mother is to watch her children laugh and enjoy the time spent with them. "I try to involve them in diverse activities and develop their personality."

Recent surveys show that contemporary parents are far from irresponsible and ignorant towards their children. They have been proven to be more conscientious than parents 20 years ago and chose to spend valuable time with their children. This is one of the major conclusions Oxford scientists reached while trying to understand the reason for the increasing cases of anti-social behavior in teenagers.

They have found out that family environment is not the only factor pushing kids towards such behavior, since parents nowadays are very responsible in the care of their children. The change of parents attitude is owed to the fact that families become smaller and smaller, women give birth at older age and, compared to the 70's, the number of children living with one parent has tripled.

According to the National Statistical Service of Greece, women that became mothers at the age of 35-39 were 22.5% in 1979 and 41.9% in 1999. The per cent ratio of couples that got married after the age of 30 has risen in 2006 compared to the 80's. 28 679 women and 18 731 men between 0-35 years of age have contracted a marriage in 2006 and the overall number of marriages was 57 802.

Although some data seem to be indicative of negative development, the reality is different. "The previous generation suffered from numerous issues. A lot of children had to take are of themselves despite their mother was physically present," says Ephi Sarianidou, family matters councilor. She emphasizes on the lack of love and tenderness children experienced, the reason being the difficulties in the family together with lack of knowledge on the subject of upbringing. "Nowadays, raising a child is not a social responsibility, since getting married is optional. People are aware that children have rights and treat them as human beings with needs of their own," adds Sarianidou.

"I work a lot, but the more Giannis and Evangelia are growing up, the more I see in them the need to be together. I try to adjust my time so that I can meet their needs and talk with them on any subject they find interesting," says businesswoman Maria Davos.

All parents now how difficult it is to split their time between work and family, but it is not impossible. "We all can find time in the morning to eat breakfast together with our families, or have family dinners during the weekend," says Mrs. Sarianidou, adding that although children are smarter today, they find it difficult to communicate and express their feelings.

The actress Carmen Rungeri on the other hand, says that children should visit theater performances and then discuss what they saw with their parents. "Parents realize that theater is not only an instrument for entertainment but a source of knowledge, proven by the increased number of performances for children, which now sell as much tickets as adult performances do."