We moved from a big US city to a small town in Southern Italy 12 years ago. Raising kids here isn't what I expected.

I've learned a lot about being an American parent in Italy while living in our small town in the Calabria region. Elya Martseva/Getty Images I moved from the US to a small Italian town 12 years ago. Raising kids here has been surprising. In our town, kids seem to be way more independent and woven into adults' social lives. Ultimately, we're trying to keep some of our American values while adapting to the local culture. When my family moved from the United States to a small town in Southern…