Tag: Family and Relationships

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Why is having siblings becoming less common? The reasons for having an only child are numerous and diverse. Finances, sexual dysfunction, parent’s maturity level, clinical issues, and the desire to have only one are among them. Given the hardships of modern marriage, job demands, and the cost of child rearing, the rise in one-child families is understandable.

While single-child families remain a standard deviation, the number of one-child households has nearly doubled in the last 40 years. But even though having only one child is becoming the mainstream in many countries, there is still pressure to have more than one. Despite repeated arguments, stereotypes about only children being spoiled or unhappy is very apparent.

Parents say they feel pressured to have more children from everyone, from relatives to random strangers, that is why becoming a one-and-done parent is and always has been a tough choice, one to which they give a great deal of thought and occasionally may even doubt.

Read the article about one-and-done parenting.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230110-only-child-or-siblings-one-and-done

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “to forego” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
2. What does “one-and-done” mean in this sentence, ” Trying something new shouldn’t be a one-and-done exercise.”? Use this word in a sentence.
3. What does “background noise” mean here, “Even as deciding to be one-and-done becomes more common, this background noise means parents who make this choice often find themselves having to convince other people – and even themselves – that they’ve done the right thing.” Use it in your own sentence.

Discussion Questions:

1. How common is it to have only one child these days? Why do you think that is?
2. What are the benefits and drawbacks of only having one child?
3. Are parents with only one child happier? Explain your stand.
4. Does growing up as an only child have any impact on an individual? Discuss.
5. How will the future be like with couples deciding to have fewer and fewer children?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

A parent’s and child’s relationship should be one of mutually beneficial, unbreakable love that endures all ups and down. Regrettably, some parents may find it challenging to keep this bond going. Ultimately, a parent could perhaps decide to leave their roles because they feel they have passed the tipping point. Some parents who choose to cut off contact claim that they do so for their own well-being and security.

But were you aware that some children also constantly try to behave similarly to their parents? Yes, children do estrange themselves from their parents as well. For what reasons?

Follow the link to learn more.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20221207-the-parents-who-sever-ties-with-their-children

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “cut off ” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
2. What does “ re-kindle” mean in this sentence, ”An attempt to rekindle their romance ended just before she died.”? Use this word in a sentence.
3. What does “ordeal” mean here, “Without the help and understanding of my daughter, I don’t know where I’d be, as this has been a very lonely ordeal,” she says.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do parents lose touch with their kids?
2. Is it acceptable to detach oneself from kinship? Explain.
3. Is there even an appropriate time to sever ties with your family? Explain.
4. Why do children estrange themselves from parents?
5. What does a toxic parent-child relationship entail?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

No matter the color, race, or social standing, we all have the capability to reach out to someone if we just keep an open mind.

Please read the article below about an unusual friendship.

For a black man living in the 1960s, life was far from easy. This was the case for Donald Shirley, a musical prodigy and classically trained pianist. His plan was to tour the Deep South, but for a black man living during this era, he knew that his journey would be far from smooth. This was the time when the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) would stop at nothing to voice their extremist views, and they did this through any means thinkable and unthinkable. Violence was often the most popular of means. So, Donald needed protection. He needed some backup. This brought Tony Vallelonga to the scene. He became Donald’s driver.

On the surface, these two men seemed worlds apart. Donald Shirley lived alone, a well-educated man with 3 doctorates under his belt. Tony had followed the school of hard knocks and had grown into a rough-and-ready Italian. Tony’s streetwise nature and his job as a bouncer at the Copacabana, though, led him to cross paths with young Donald Shirley. What followed was a road trip that opened Tony’s eyes to the brutality of racism and a deep, even though at first sight unlikely, friendship developed between the two. It lasted for many decades to come. In the early 70s, Donald Shirley was able to play at the famous Carnegie Hall together with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

What had happened to Tony? Well, he went back to his old stomping grounds at the Copacabana, only to be spotted and cast in The Godfather. It’s poignant to note that their unlikely friendship lasted well into the 21st century. Tony’s son recollects how they would go out for lunch together when Donald was playing in town. It seemed that if Donald ever was in need, Tony was the man he would turn to for help. “Whenever Dr. Shirley had any problems,” he said, “he’d call my father, and he’d go and help to sort them out.”

It is no wonder that such a story turned into a Hollywood movie. Stories like these warm our hearts and show us that we don’t have to be alone. No matter our colour, race or social standing, we all have the capability to reach out to someone if we just keep an open mind.

Quote retrieved from the article, “What happened to Don Shirley and Tony Lip after ‘Green Book’? Nick Vallelonga talks us through their friendship” by Gregory Wakeman, posted on November 15, 2018 on Metro.

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you watched the movie Green Book? Why or why not?
2. What do you think made a bodyguard and a pianist, who seemed to be from two different worlds, true friends?
3. Do you think this story is common or an exceptional one? Explain.
4. What’s the most incredible story of friendship do you know of?
5. How does most friendships begin?
6. How can friendships last?
7. Who is your greatest friend and why?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Staying faithful to your partner or spouse is probably the oldest trick in the book when it comes to keeping a happy and harmonious relationship.

However, through the years, along with all the progressive changes that we have embraced as a society, perhaps our definition of a romantic relationship has also been evolving.

Open relationships are still not openly acceptable by everyone in the world, but it has been considered less and less obscure over the years. Furthermore, people’s interest in it has been gaining traction.

Read the article about the rising curiosity behind open relationships and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220725-the-rising-curiosity-behind-open-relationships

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on open relationships? What do you think about it becoming more and more mainstream?
2. What might be reasons why open relationships interest a lot of people these days?
3. Cite the advantages and disadvantages of being in a monogamous and non-monogamous relationship.
4. Do you agree or disagree that “Dating-app trends and the pandemic effect help highlight the rise in interest in open relationships”? Explain your point.
5. What is your reaction to this statement: “attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy are mostly negative overall”?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There is an Indonesian woman who married a man that she met through a dating app. Ten months into the marriage, she discovered that her ‘husband’ is actually a woman even though they have been intimate several times. The ‘husband’ also claimed that they were a doctor but that was also a lie. Now, the wife is suing her ‘husband’ in court for falsifying their qualifications as a doctor but not about their gender.

Let’s read the article below to learn more about the wife who found out that her ‘husband’ is a woman.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/wife-22-learns-husband-woman-10-months-marriage-intimate/

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your initial reaction to this story?
2. Do you think that what the ‘husband’ did should be punished?
3. What would you do if your were in the wife’s situation?
4. What was the biggest lie you’ve told in your life?
5. What was the biggest lie ever told to you and by who? How did this change things between you and this person/these people?
6. What are the common reasons married couples break up?

B2 – Upper Intermediate

The desire to dissolve a marriage is typically tough, and spouses may spend years, if not a lifetime contemplating their alternatives. When it comes to starting a separation, however, there is a distinct pattern as to who takes the ultimate ruling.

On average, women end their marriages significantly earlier than males. But why are women more likely to divorce their husbands first?

Let us figure out by reading the entire text.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220511-why-women-file-for-divorce-more-than-men

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think women are the ones who usually divorce their husbands first?
2. Do people get divorced too easily and quickly today? What do you think are the reasons for this?
3. What are the most common factors responsible for couples to divorce?
4. Does divorce mean part of you is a failure? Explain.
5. Why do you think divorce rate is higher in some countries than in others?
6. Is being divorced a social stigma in your country? Talk about it.

B2 – Upper Intermediate

We could only have enough time for everything. Overscheduling and overtiredness can affect the wealthy and the poor alike. If you’re an average citizen, you’d call this your normal ‘lifestyle,’ but if you’re a scholar, you’d label it as ‘time poverty.’

Do you ever notice how we never seem to have enough time for everything? For those people with children, they have even less – and the problem of ‘time poverty’ has never been more highlighted.

To learn more about the challenges of ‘time poverty,’ read the full text.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220201-the-time-poverty-that-robs-parents-of-success

Discussion Questions:

1. What causes time poverty for parents?
2. How does time poverty affect you?
3. Do you generally have enough stamina before or after work to do something enjoyable? How do you make the most of your free time?
4. How do you believe people with children can bridge the gap between having children and pursuing their work objectives?
5. How do you strike a balance between your professional and personal life if you are also a parent?
6. What can companies and government do to ensure people with children have good work-life balance?