Parents are not born, they become. Experience of reproductive limitation and educational dimension in parenting between before and after adoption

Abstract

Istat’s demographic indicators show that the birth rate in Italy is “at an all-time low” and the resident population is continual decline. And yet, the world population is increasing at a relentless pace. From this one could deduce the irrelevance of Italian degrowth in the planetary dimension. On the other hand, however, from a psycho-pedagogical point of view, targeted attention must be paid to our denatality because of the intense pain that often accompanies reproductive difficulties. In fact, denatality does not always derive from the choice not to have children, and the desire for parenthood is also evident in the significant recourse to PMA and adoption, both national and international. The research Parents are not born, they become highlights the difficulties many face in fulfilling the desire for parenthood and investigates the role they play in the parenting experience of couples who have turned to PMA and/or adoption. The contribution offers initial research findings.