Listening Scrift

Parenting:
                    A Challenging, but Rewarding Job           

                   

I. Pre-Listening Exercises

What are some of the greatest challenges that face parents when raising children in today's world? What are some specific challenges or issues dealing with child rearing that are unique to your culture or part of the world (e.g., education, freedom, religion, dress, discipline, etc.)?

HELPFUL TIP: It is easy to rescue children from their problems, but we can help them more if we teach our kids the skills to solving their own problems starting from when they are small.

II. Listening Exercises

I. Listen to the conversation by pressing the "Play Audio" button and answer the questions. Press the "Final Score" button to check your quiz.

1. Where does this conversation take place?
A. at the girl's dormitory
B. at their home
C. in the car

2. What might have happened to the family car?
A. The woman drove it into some deep water.
B. Some people stole the vehicle by the lake.
C. The man's daughter hit a tree on a picnic.
3. The father's computer is currently ____________.
A. in a repair shop after the woman dumped water on it
B. being stored safely in the vehicle by the lake
C. in serious trouble unless it is in a waterproof container
4. The man's daughter might have been dating a man who was ___________.
A. majoring in criminal justice at the university
B. or will be involved in some illegal activity
C. working as an officer in a police gang unit
5. From the conversation, the father's best course of action in the next 20 minutes is to ____________.
A. sit on his front porch and watch the sunset
B. plant some new sunflowers in his yard
C. jump in his car and leave home or call the police

Parenting:
A Challenging, but Rewarding Job

III. Listening Exercises

Listen to the conversation again by pressing the Play Audio button and read along with the conversation. Review the Key Vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Dad: Hey. Uh, what are you doing home this weekend? I thought classes didn't end until next week.

Daughter: Hi Dad. I love you.
Dad: Ah, the three magic words: (1)...............! I've heard those before.
Daughter: Uh, Well, we'd better sit down.
Dad: Uh, this doesn't sound good.
Daughter: Well, first of all . . . hey, is that painting on the wall new?
Dad: No, no, no, no, no. Let's get back to (2)...........
Daughter: Okay, first of all, I am failing all of my classes, I lost my job, I wrecked my car, I mean, your car last week. It's at the bottom of the lake . . . I think, and the laptop I borrowed from you . . . well, it was in the backseat of the car. That's all of (3)..............
Dad: Uh, wait . . .
Daughter: Dad. You're not saying anything . . .
Dad: Okay. Now, what's the bad news?
Daughter: Well, I just found out that (4)................... was a member of a gang; he says that he and 20 of his friends are gonna come over here to talk to you about what you posted on their Facebook page.
Dad: I don't even know how to use Facebook!
Daughter: Well, you do now. I have to go. I'd rather not be here in (5)........... . Love you. Bye.
Dad: Ugh!!
 

Key Vocabulary [Top]

• had better (modal of advice): similar to "should," but somewhat stronger. There could be negative consequences if the advice or suggestion is not followed.
  - You'd better see a doctor before your condition takes a turn for the worse.
• fail (verb): not pass
  - You will fail the test if you don't sit down and study.
• wreck (verb; also noun): crash or destroy
  - You're going to wreck your parents' car if you keep driving like this.
• post (verb): put up something in writing on a wall or online
  - I posted a funny message on her Facebook page this morning.

Vocabulary Activities

Now, do these exercises to review the vocabulary. Then, return back to the Post-Listening Exercise to use the vocabulary in real conversations. [Why do these?]

IV. Post-Listening Exercises

Parenting is one job people take on without any experience. It is not like working at a restaurant. Therefore, in what ways can new parents prepare for the new adventure as parents? What challenges do parents face in raising and caring for new infants, toddlers, teenagers, and even adult children?

V. Online Investigations - [ What's This? ] [Top]

Use the Internet to find three specific suggestions on raising and understanding teenagers. Do you think that these recommendations are applicable to all situations, families, and nationalities? Why or why not?

Parenting

Matching Exercise

Match the items on the right to the items on the left by dragging them over. Your score is calculated by adding up the scores for all the questions that have been answered so far (correct and wrong tries), and changing the result into a percentage.

Not being loyal to friends and family can ________ relationships.

In many cases, parents ________ think carefully of the potential consequences before punishing their children.

I rarely _______ any of my family pictures online.

If we _______ to praise our children enough, they sometimes doubt their self-worth.

fail     

wreck

had better

post

Parenting: A Challenging, but Rewarding Job

Answer the questions based on the vocabulary you learned.

1. A parent _______________ think really carefully before getting angry at a child. We often don't understand the true impact of our words and actions.
1.   had better
2.   should to
3.   have
2. A parent's anger and abuse can _________________ a family.
1.   wreck
2.   wring
3.   wreath
3. I don't ______ any of our family pictures online for privacy reasons.
1.   pin
2.   pour
3.   post
4. Parents should never ______________ to express their love to their children.
1.   fill
2.   fail
3.   fall