43. Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss the questions.

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an only child?

2. Are you an only child? If so, are you sorry you are?

3. How many children would you like to have when you have a family of your own?

4. What kind of parent will you be?

5. What will you teach your children? (what values, beliefs, hobbies, skills, etc.)

44. Comment on the following:

1. Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn’t listening. (Emma Thompson)

2. Family life is not a computer program that runs on its own; it needs continual input from everyone. (Neil Kurshan)

3. Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing. (Jim Rohn)

45. In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What do you think makes a family close?

2. What do you and your family like to do together?

3. What are some of your fondest memories of childhood?

4. How often does your family eat dinner together?

5. What is your favourite family tradition?

6. What are some rules you have in your family?

7. Who makes the big decisions in your family?

8. Who does the household work, your father or your mother or both of them?

9. What household chores do you do?

10. Does your family ever push you to do things or act in a certain way?

46. Read the stories and answer the questions below. Jenny's Parents – a Traditional Marriage

My parents’ marriage is very traditional in many ways. They met and fell in love during their senior year in high school and married soon after they graduated. They take pride in the fact that both of them were virgins when they married. Within a year after they married, my mother gave birth to their first child and later had three more children. My father’s job was to earn enough money to support our family, and my mother’s job was to stay home and take care of our family. M y father knew he was the boss of the family; he ran the roost with a firm but fair hand. My mother knew she was the boss only when my father was not home.

My father worked at a hardware store. My mother never dreamed of working outside the home – my father always said “a woman’s place is in the home.” Mother always did what Dad wanted – she cooked his favorite foods, waited on him everyday, and basically did whatever he thought was best.

My father’s job at home was to take care of all the maintenance work; to do the heavy chores like lawn care and gardening. My mother’s job was to cook, clean, and care for the children. My father was the disciplinarian: if we did something wrong he would come looking for us with his big black belt and give us a whack across the backside. My mother was the nurturer: she read to us and made chocolate chip cookies for us and insisted that we take a bath every other night.

When I look back on my childhood, I realize that life back then was much simpler. Men and women knew what they needed from each other and each person was clear about what responsibilities they had. Men and women didn’t expect to be equal to each other but their relationship was based on their love and respect for each other.

J. Cammeron