Medialny obraz dziecka i dzieciństwo w portalach parentingowych mama:Du i dad:Hero

The observation of social life in Poland reveals slow but systematic changes in the functioning of families. These changes are observable in the roles of fathers and mothers, as well as the role of a child. Media play a significant role in promoting the image of a child in a modern, post-traditional family. The article aims to reconstruct the media image of the child and childhood. Research material consists of titles and headlines of press texts published on two websites: dad:Hero and mama:Du. The methodological basis employs the assumptions of cultural linguistics and the processes of concept profiling. Detailed analysis focused on facets such as the expected child vs. unwanted child, the engaging child vs. demanding child, the child as a source of expenses, and the threatened child. In the material examined, no texts portrayed the child as happy or carefree. This fact is due to the self-help and guidance functions of the websites in question. The analysis reveals that a child, a member of a post-modernist family, organizes their life, serves as a source of both positive and negative emotions, and is a person to be taken care of, but also to be feared. A child can be both desired and unwanted. Sometimes, one needs to take a break from the child. This image of childhood corresponds to the modern family model, where the needs of all its members are important.