The round table discussion "The Formula of Family", held at the university on 24 June aims to foster family values among student youth and to touch the influence of parental example on the decision to start one's own family, and what family means to our students.
Among the participants were Sofia Stepanova, a second-year student at the Institute of Economics and Finance, and her two younger brothers, six-year-old Egor and nine-year-old Makar. The editorial team asked several questions to the members of this large family, which also includes an older brother.
– Sofia, how did you react when your family welcomed two more little members?
– When Makar was born, I was eleven years old. I won’t hide the fact that at first it was difficult for me to accept it: I was no longer the youngest child in the family, the one who had always received the most attention. Naturally, there was a period of misunderstanding to accept the situation. Then Egor was born. At some point, something changed in me. Now I love them, probably even more than I love my parents.
– Do you spend a lot of time with your younger brothers?
– Once a week I devote an entire day exclusively to them. We go out together without our parents. Last weekend, for example, we visited the zoo.
– What did you enjoy most about the zoo? (Question for Egor and Makar.)
– Makar: I liked the fish best.
– Egor: I like the fish too. And we also saw a tiger and lots of other animals.
– Boys, who do you love the most? (Question for Egor and Makar.)
– Makar: My sister!
– Egor: I don’t know. I love everyone – my sister, my mum, and my dad.
– Sofia, does your parents’ example have any impact on your thoughts about your own future family? Have you ever thought about how many children you would like to have?
– Up to five. Definitely not one or two. I would like to bring as many happy souls into this world as I can. I believe that children are happiness.
– And what is your opinion on starting a family and having children at a young age, for example while still at university?
– To be honest, I already feel ready to have a child. I understand the challenges young parents face, and I realize the responsibility that comes not only with having a child but also with raising a person. At the moment, however, I am held back by the very issues discussed at today’s round table, primarily the lack of our own housing, since there are already many of us living in my parents’ home. If government support young student families become more substantial.
