Family of the woods, criminologist Fabbroni: the truth is in the gray area, love is not enough

The criminologist and psychotherapist Barbara Fabbroni speaks on the case of the "family of the woods": "The truth lies in the gray area. Love is not enough if it does not become a guarantee of protection."  In her remarks on the case of the family that chose to live in a farmhouse among the woods of Palmoli (Chieti), Fabbroni urges looking beyond the romantic narrative. "There are stories that seem to have come out of a fairy tale: stone houses in the middle of the woods, barefoot children learning from the wind, and parents who are perhaps stubbornly seeking a more essential life. And then there are the same stories observed up close, without the romantic filter: places that become too isolated, educational choices that cross boundaries, economic fragilities that turn into risk."

The case

According to the documents referenced in the remarks, everything began in September 2024 with a request for help due to mushroom poisoning, which, by law, triggers a report to social services. The described situation: a rural stone house lacking plumbing and sewage systems, absent sanitary facilities, inconsistent economic resources, and three minors who do not attend school. In November 2025, by order of the juvenile authority, the children are removed and taken to a community along with their mother; the father remains in the house. "I miss my life," the father stated to the microphones of a well-known television program. The mother, Catherine Birmingham, defended the educational choice: "They learned to read and write by themselves."

Fabbroni's analysis

For Fabbroni, the heart of the case is the friction between an educational ideal and the boundaries of protection. "The psychology of a removal is always the same: it is not a clean break, but an invisible fracture. The balance is broken, the everyday life is shattered, and above all, the illusion — legitimate, human — that love is enough to protect is broken." At the center of the dispute is unschooling, a radical form of homeschooling not provided for in the Italian regulatory framework. "From a psychological point of view, unschooling is a complex terrain: it can foster creativity and free identity, but it risks denying children those social and structural skills that protect them in the real world." And he adds: "Italy recognizes the right to education, but also the obligation to guarantee it. Within this regulatory framework, Catherine and Nathan's dream becomes a legal void." Regarding the difficulties of dialogue between family and institutions, Fabbroni speaks of a "communicative short circuit" that has affected decisions: "The psychological history of this family is a story of missed intersections: between them and the institutions, between their lexicon and that of the services, between what they wanted to say and what was understood." And he focuses on the crux: "The problem is not the forest, but educational solitude." In public opinion, the case is divisive. "Some speak of institutional abuse and others of necessary protection; some see two alternative but loving parents and others see irresponsible visionaries. The truth lies, as often happens, in the gray area: between a free educational model and possible neglect; between the choice to live outside the box and the ability — or inability — to guarantee children what the law considers essential." In his symbolic reading, Fabbroni recalls the meaning of the forest. "The forest represents the place of exploration and the unknown. This family has chosen the less traveled path: now they are called to emerge from it, at least for a while, to demonstrate that the forest was not an escape, but a conscious choice." And he closes with a question that sounds like a warning: "How much space can we give to freedom without betraying responsibility?"

Who is Barbara Fabbroni 

Criminologist specialized in re-reading the crime scene and psychological dynamics of homicide; she has dealt with cases of black chronicle and cold cases including the Garlasco case, Nada Cella, the Erba massacre, and the murder of Yara Gambirasio. - Psychologist and psychotherapist with extensive clinical experience in treating emotional dependencies and couple psychopathologies. - Author of critical reflections on media processes, she addresses issues with the authority of someone who knows both "the facts" and human fragilities. - Training in Transactional Analysis, which she integrates with empathetic communication aimed at raising public awareness.