see eye to eye with, result in, shoot up, calm down, from one's point of view, think. . . through, back down, turn out
Nuclear(核心的) Family
53.7% of Canadians live in nuclear families. A nuclear family usually has parents and children. It is also called the traditional family. This kind of family was the most popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Now the traditional family is choosing to have fewer children than in the past.
Single-Parent Family
In this kind of family, there is only one parent caring for one or more children. The number of single-parent families is becoming larger. The environment of single-parent family is not very good for the mental and physical health of children.
Extended(几代同堂的)Family
There are grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in this kind of family. Members of the extended family live together for many reasons, such as helping to raise the children, caring for each other and dealing with money problems. The number of this kind of family has increased by 40 percent in the past ten years.
Childless Family
A childless family is the one that choose not to have children. The couple has never had children because of some reasons. Most have thought carefully about whether to be parents but finally give up because they think it isn't really right for them. To replace children, childless families usually have pets instead.
I'd say I quarrel with my parents a lot. Throughout high school, I was always jealous(羡慕的) of some of my friends who didn't seem to have those problems at home, but I've come to see over the years that no one's situation is perfect.
Part of the reason I work all week during my break, in addition to the money, of course, is to be out of the house to avoid continuing quarrels. At work, I eat lunch with my friend Krysta every day, but the best days are when our favourite workmate, Lucy, is on her lunch break at the same time as us. Her funny way of storytelling always has us laughing happily, and although she is almost old enough to be our mom, she feels more like a best friend.
A few weeks ago, however, there was a change in our lunch conversation, and the story she told had us in real tears instead of our usual tears of laughter. A more serious topic had come up, and she sat us down to explain the importance of forgiveness(宽恕), especially when it came to our parents. Telling stories of her troubled relationship with her mother, she changed my whole outlook on life and my feelings towards my parents. She reminded(提醒) us that no matter how much resentment(怨恨) we're feeling in a moment of anger, we have to be thankful for the support they provide and learn to forgive everything else.
This week I've spent my break at home, having very small quarrels and lots of quality time together with my parents. Sometimes you need a reminder to make you realize how important it is to let go of past resentment and work to repair broken relationships. My workmate's moving stories not only brought me to tears in the break room at work that day but served as that wake-up call as well.
If you are looking to improve your relationship with your parents, you are not alone. There are a number of steps that can be taken to form a better relationship with your parents.
Begrateful. Consider all that your parents have done for you. You may find yourself feeling thankful to your parents. You will be more willing to improve the relationship. Let your parents know that you are appreciative for all they have done for you. For example, get them a nice gift. If you live with your parents, do some extra housework without being asked.
Often, people do not get along because they fail to take others' perspective. Accept that your parents are different. Think about how their lives may be different from your life, and how these different histories may be contributing to issues in the relationship.
Avoidunnecessaryarguments. Sometimes arguments are unavoidable, but do your best to avoid unnecessary quarrels. This may mean that you have to bite your tongue when one of your parents says something controversial. If it is, make the point clearly and modestly in order to avoid an overly emotional argument.
Don'taskfortheiradviceunlessyoureallywantit. Sometimes problems arise in relationships between parents and children, particularly at the teenage years and beyond, because parents can try to give advice that might hurt your sense of independence. Otherwise, you may be opening the door to frustration on your part.
|
A. Put yourself in their shoes. B. Be happy with them for this. C. Show your appreciation with your actions. D. It can hurt to feel taken for granted, even for parents. E. Problems between parents and children are common. F. So try only asking for their advice when you really want it. G. Determine whether the need to respond is really necessary. |
