Out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings

Social monitoring about children wants to make information about then- living conditions available: regularly, in due time and systematically. The longitudinal study about children and childhood ("The childrens Panels") of the German Youth Institute has also committed itsesf to this task. it it enterirtq new territory, since it has not been customary to interview children themselves about their own lives and that of their entire family. Where family issues and the circumstances of children's growings up were concerned, mother, have been the preferred source of information so far. Adult-focused reporting about the conditions of growing up in Germany have always, been geared to router circumstances. The usu bjectively «perceived satisfaction with prevailing life circumstances as well as chiidren's possibitittes to deal with given conditions on opportunities have not been included in habitual reporting up to now.