| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Difficult | Children | Man – Woman | 07:13 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What are the greatest challenges in raising children in the world we live in today? What types of conflict occur within families (between siblings, and between children and parents)? What are three things parents and children can do to improve family relationships?
- Children should have regular chores at home.
- Teenagers need more freedom to learn from their mistakes.
- Parents should check their children’s phones and social media accounts.
- Giving children too many choices makes parenting harder.
- Teenagers should have part-time jobs during the school year.
- Discipline should be the same for all children in a family.
- Too much praise can make children feel entitled.
- It’s better to be a strict parent than a relaxed one.
- Teenagers today face more pressure than past generations.
- Parents should be their children’s friends, not just their teachers.
Idioms
“drive someone nuts/crazy” = make someone feel angry
“My kids sometimes drive me nuts when they leave the house a mess.”
“leave the nest” = leave your parents home and start living independently
“Many kids aren’t financially ready to leave the nest when they turn 18 years old.”
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Post-Listening Exercise
Discuss what it was like to grow up in your family in terms of how your parents raised you? What kinds of rules did your family have? Did you think they were fair at the time? Has your opinion on these rules changed as you have gotten older? Do you think that children are harder or easier to raise in today’s world as compared to life when your parents or grandparents were growing up? Explain.