This article discusses how the conditions in Russia are changing the characteristics of rural families, reducing the prevalence of traditional culture, changing the behavior of rural youth, and increasing familial conflict and the incidence of divorce. The deterioration of the social and economic situation that is being experienced today by many rural families is resulting in the destabilization of relations between husbands and wives and between the generations, it is leading to conflicts, causing a state of depression and a feeling of dissatisfaction. A family that is destabilized is not capable of fulfilling its economic, social, and upbringing functions properly and to the full extent. There are well-known factors that have a destructive effect on relations between parents and children: (1) an immoral and parasitical way of life; (2) manifestations of cruelty and sadism on the part of adults; (3) the presence of family members who have served time in prison and who cultivate, in their relations with the children, the norms and traditions of the criminal community; (4) the smoking, alcoholism, and narcotics abuse that have become increasingly widespread in rural families; and (5) a phenomenon that used to be unacceptable in the village subculture, the moral degradation of adolescent girls (prostitution). The majority of children who are inclined to engage in bad habits are being brought up in families that are quite tolerant or indifferent toward the "traditions" of smoking and the consumption of alcohol, things that have become inseparable attributes in the everyday life and leisure of adults. Social educators, social workers, and specialists in the department of guardianship and supervision, as well as medical, social, and psychology centers, are very often located too far from rural families. They are located either in raion centers or in bigger population centers, and this makes it difficult to provide systematic social, psychological, and pedagogical help to families in need. The task of restoring harmony to relations between parents and children does not call for radical intervention in the process of family upbringing that is traditionally closed in rural areas; instead, it requires a tactful, attentive study of the characteristics of each family at a time when their situations in life are becoming difficult, and careful interaction with parents in a spirit of alliance. The term "support" semantically indicates that support can be provided only by things that have already been established and yield a positive result. [This article was translated by Kim Braithwaite.]