Topic 5. Bringing up children. Praise and punishment.

Task 8. Read and translate the text and answer the questions after it.

Rules and childhood

All children need rules to know the difference between right and wrong. Parents make house rules for a lot of reasons – to make sure the family is safe, to organize family life and to teach their children how to behave well. Most parents want to teach their children how to live happily in the world and to be able to get on well with other people.

There are some general rules that can improve family life. Family members should:

· avoid aggressive behaviour such as hitting, pushing or kicking;

· ask before borrowing things and return things in good condition;

· take care of the home and the things in it;

· talk about problems and arguments in a nice way to try and make things right.

Specific rules are necessary as children grow up because they start to do more things on their own. Very young children are usually under the direct control of their parents. But school children spend some of their time with friends, and parents must make sure that their children know how to behave when they are not at home. For example, children should wear a proper seat belt when they travel in another person’s car, they should be polite, and they shouldn’t talk to strangers.

To help children to learn self-discipline, parents make certain house rules, for example:

· healthy eating such as a good breakfast and eating lots of fruit and vegetables;

· always do homework in a relaxed way after school and not late at night or just before school;

· keep their bedroom neat and tidy and also put their clothes in the wardrobe.

Ideally, parents should make rules that are easy to introduce and to follow. But most of all, children will always refer to and rely on what they learnt at home in a safe and caring environment.

1) Is it necessary for parents to introduce rules for children at home? Explain your opinion.

2) What rules can improve family life?

3) What rules can help children to learn self-discipline?

4) What difficulties are there in upbringing boys and girls, sons and daughters?

5) What should we teach kids beginning with their early age?

6) Should parents try to teach their children before they go to school?

7) Should a child be allowed to do anything he likes when he is ill?

8) Should parents help their children with their homework?

9) What is more important in the process of upbringing: school (teachers, collective) or home (parents) background?

10) What home atmosphere encourages a child’s development?

 

Task 9. Complete the sentences with one word from the text in each gap. Do this task in written form.

1) Parents want their children to communicate well and … with other people in life.

2) Parents make house … to protect their children from danger.

3) In your family, you should … aggressive behaviour.

4) Every … member has to take care of things they share at home.

4) Parents of very young children under their ….

5) It’s important not to rush homework and do it in a … way.

6) Parents want their children to eat … food.

7) When parents make rules, it’s important that they are … to introduce and follow.

8) It is important for parents to teach their children how to take care of themselves when they are on their … or with friends.

9) Parents teach children not … to people they don’t know.

10) It’s the child’s responsibility … their bedroom tidy.

Task 10. Read and discuss the text. Answer the questions after the text.

Children and Internet

According to the researchers of the American Academy of Pediatrics, social media sites have created a new phenomenon known as “Facebook depression”. The researchers recently warned parents about the possible dangers of networking websites on their children’s mental health. The report of a co-author Gwenn O’Keefe described the way social interaction is changing: “For some teens, social media is the primary way they interact socially, rather than at home or a friend’s house”, she said. Ms O’Keefe added: “A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones. Parents need to understand these technologies so they can relate to their children’s online world, and comfortably parent in that world”.

The report says it is essential for parents to be aware of how social media sites can affect children and that the Internet is not always a healthy environment for kids. The writers also urged parents to be on the lookout for cyberbulling, sexting and online predators. They recommended parents take an active role and discuss things like bulling, privacy and feeling down because of what’s happening on Facebook. A recent poll stated that 22 per cent of teenagers log on to a social media site more than 10 minutes a day and more than half at least once a day. However there are reports which say that Facebook helps youngsters, by allowing them to express themselves, and doesn’t isolate them for society.

 

1) What is your attitude towards social media sites? What’s your favourite one?

2) Should parents control the children’s access to the Internet?

3) What have the researchers recently warned parents about?

4) What should parents be on the lookout for when their children log on to social media sites?

5) What do the researchers recommend to parents?

Task 11. Read and discuss the text. Answer the questions after the text.