Romana e Stefano, intervista per un articolo uscito oggi negli Stati Uniti sulla rivista americana "Topic Magazine"

Titolo "Meet the Mammoni"

STEFANO (mio figlio) & ROMANA 

Romana Prostamo, 57, is a therapist, naturopath, and practitioner of Chinese medicine. Stefano Virgili, 27, has just obtained his master’s degree in engineering,

Romana: I was a Buddhist monk for 25 years. What I always tried to do with my two sons was to start a dialogue early on, right after they were born. I made him touch things, and I would explain things to him. Of course, he thinks with his own head. We both have strong personalities, but Stefano is more practical. I try to see the connections, looking at the deepest aspects of a person or of a behavior. 

Stefano: We do argue, but it’s more of a confrontation than a straight-up argument. We’re pretty similar, so we butt heads in a similar way. My mother is more metaphysical, while I am more grounded, but my mother influenced me greatly: I love art, I study Japanese. But I am more rational than her.

“The truth is, now I realize my need to leave is not motivated by wanting to do my own thing, but rather by the need to grow.”

Romana: Stefano cleans, he takes care of our pets, he irons, he cooks. Sometimes he sews. He’s always been very involved. That’s the way he was raised. As a family, we always needed to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps; we all helped each other out however we could. My son does a lot. He’s been working since he was young. He paid his university tuition by working.

Stefano: I understood the importance of sacrifice, especially when I would have to work on weekends while my peers were studying or going out. It was a way for me to both help out and to get some money. It taught me the importance of money and of hard work, without which you are bound to be left behind. This work ethic, I think, is what helped me land a job the day after I graduated.

Il problema in Italia è che la vita costa tanto rispetto a molti stipendi

Romana: The problem in Italy is that the cost of life is steep compared to the paychecks. Sometimes some choices are forced upon young people. They don’t have enough cash flow to be independent. In Italy, you invest a lot in education, which is not rewarded in the workforce, especially in entry-level roles. 

Stefano: I want to get my own place as a sense of responsibility. When you’re young, you want to escape, just so you can do whatever you want. The truth is, now I realize my need to leave is not motivated by wanting to do my own thing, but rather by the need to grow. When you’re alone, you grow in a different way, and not necessarily faster. 

Romana: On a recent trip to the US, I noticed a lack of affection in child rearing. Many parents have a detached style. On one hand, they get tossed into the real world without much ado, but this does have some drawbacks. I saw teenagers left to their own devices, at least from an affection-related perspective, and this can prompt them to find gratification elsewhere.

Stefano: A lot of people my age in Italy, without a family able to support them financially, live in a situation just like mine: they wait to move out until they have a good job. I don’t want to leave because I want to escape.

https://www.topic.com/meet-the-mammoni