Answer the questions.

The Bible says,” Honor the father and the mother. It is one of the Ten Commandments. In the family mothers and fathers help their children in many ways, long before the children understand about it and say “Thank you”. Though parents make mistakes, children should understand that the parents are wiser and they know what is the best for their children.

Answer the questions.

· What do the parents give to their children?

· Can you live without your parents’ support?

· Do you discuss your problems with your parents?

· How often do you spend your free time with your parents?

· Are you friends with your parents?

· What do your parents ban you to do?

· Do your parents share your interests?

· How do your parents punish you?

· Do you lie to your parents? When?

Choose the sentences you fully agree with. Explain your choice.

· Children should obey their parents without questions.

· It is an advantage to be an only child.

· It is child’s duty to look after his or her parents when they are old.

· Girls and boys should be brought up in the same way-without definite roles.

· You should never hit a child.

· Parents should never quarrel in front of their children.

· The best way of punishing a child is to stop his or her pocket money.

· It is wrong for both parents to go out to work if they have small children.

· Children under 18 should never be out later than 10 o’clock in the evening.

· No family should be allowed to have more than four children nowadays.

Five common complaints teenagers have about their parents:

— They check up on how I spend my money.

— They don’t let me play loud music at home.

— They don’t let me have my hair 1 want it.

— They criticize my friends.

— They are not interested in what I think.

Five common complaints parents have about their teenage children:

1. They don’t help enough in the house.

2. They are untidy and rude.

2. They never say where they are going or when they are coming home.

3. They spend all their money on terrible clothes.

4. They spend too much time watching TV and videos.

Answer the questions.

1. Do you have any of the same complaints about your parents?

2. Which complaints do you think are the most important / the least important?

3. Which is your most serious complaint about your parents?

A Family Conflict

• What is the reason of it?

It is the difference between you and your parents’ priorities that make family life more difficult when you are in your teens.

• What do children want their parents to be and to do?

I wish my parents:

— to trust me

— to help me with my problems

— to buy me all I want

— to be more kind and just

— to forgive me everything

— to allow me to watch TV all night

— to treat me as an adult

— to be more attentive to me

— not to be so boring

— to accept my way of life

— not to treat me like a kind

— not to be so strict

— not to break their promises

— not to criticize me in public

— let me come home late

Parents want their children:

— to be polite

— to be kind

— to be friendly

— to be honest

— to be hardworking

— to come home in time

— to study well

— to help about the house

— to go to bed in time

— not to be rude

— not to smoke

— not to miss classes

— not to take drugs

— not to watch TV too late

What do you think about your relations with your parents? Do you think that your parents are too strict or they are not strict enough?

Generation gap is one of the eternal problems and every person sooner or later meets it.

Sometimes our parents don't understand us. They don‘t understand some problems and things which are very important in teens' life; for example, the lifestyles of young people, piercing, tattoos, drugs, sex, relationship with friends and teachers. So sometimes teens can't tell them about their private life. Some parents don't want to understand modem views, ideals and system of values.

When you are 16 or 17, you want to be treated as an adult, to be more independent in your actions and your way of life. You want to develop interests and values different from those of your parents. That sets a conflict between the two generations, the generation gap. Young people disagree on different problems: the time to come home at night, doing work about the house, the friends to spend free time with, what clothes to wear and so on. At this period of our life we face a number of problems: difficulties in our relationships with parents, problems at school, drinking alcohol or using drags. Different TV programmes and magazines for the young come to help teenagers, give a piece of advice. In case of need you can also dial a special telephone number, the so-called 'telephone of trust'.

But it is not the way out. Parents should help their children though it is difficult to be tolerant and to find the right approach to them. We need to learn to talk our problems over in our family.

Besides, both young people and their parents should understand that each generation has something that is worth to be learned. Elder generation has experience. Younger generation has knowledge of technology, is better equipped with modem resources and can get more information that is usually closed to people of older generations. Younger people are usually bursting with fresh ideas, enthusiasm for making a good career and experience of elder generation can be useful.

To sum up, there should be communication between generations and it can improve mutual understanding.

UPBRINGING

bring up

give a strict/ permissive upbringing

pamper

spoil

spoilt/spoiled

brat (inf)

be strict/soft with sb

excessive permissiveness

be overprotective

be permissive

nag

praise sb for sth

be allowed to do sth

forbid sb to do sth

disapprove ofsth

take sb's side

accept ideas

sort out/ solve problems

cope with problems

have trouble with sb

make sb angry

get angry/get cross with sb

talk to sb seriously

warn sb/give sb a warning

tell sb off

scream/ yell

talk to a brickwall

need a firm hand

soften sb up

be firm

punish

deserve punishment

as a punishment

physical/corporal punishment

be an example to sb

be a role model

to be a good boy/girl

run away from home

stubborn

sensible

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2245