ABSTRACT
The public image of parenting and of the relation between the generations within nonindigenous families in the Netherlands is all but flattering. Parenting is often pictured as authoritarian to the point of harshness and parent-child relations as full of conflict due to the lack of autonomy granted to children. Much of the research among nonindigenous populations in the Netherlands contributes to this grim image because it selectively considers subcategories of parents and children facing problems (Van der Hoek, 1994). It is beyond doubt that the rearing of children can be hard for nonindigenous parents, the majority being part of the first, pioneering generation of migrants. Their social position is often disadvantageous and they have to deal with a plural cultural context that poses many new questions and demands on all family members. The youth face the task of moving between the spheres of family, school and peers, in which divergent expectations and codes can reign.
