In a world where everyone is exhausted from overwork and lack of sleep, ______.
A. it's easy for people to become impatient
B. it's different to create a code of conduct
C. it's important to be friendly to everybody
D. it's hard for people to admire each other
That's enough, kids
It was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her two children when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-old son and pushed him to the ground.
"I'd watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he'd shoved," she says. "I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boy and said, firmly, 'No, we don't push.'" What happened next was unexpected.
"The boy's mother ran toward me from across the park," Stella says. "I thought she was coming over to apologise, but instead she started shouting at me for ' disciplining her child'. All I did was let him know his behaviour was unacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while her kid did whatever he wanted, hurting other children in the process?"
Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other people's children has become a minefield.
In my house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sister's house it's encouraged. For her it's about kids being kids: "If you can't do it at three, when can you do it?"
Each of these philosophies is valid and, it has to be said, my son loves visiting his aunt's house. But I find myself saying "no" a lot when her kids are over at mine. That's OK between sisters but becomes dangerous territory when you're talking to the children of friends or acquaintances.
"Kids aren't all raised the same," agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University. "But there's still an idea that they're the property of the parents. We see our children as an extension of ourselves, so if you're saying that my child is behaving inappropriately, then that's somehow a criticism of me."
In those circumstances, ifs difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or the parent first. There are two schools of thought,
"I'd go to the child first," says Andrew Fuller, author of Trick).' Kids. "Usually a quiet reminder that 'we don't do that here' is enough. Kids have finely tuned antennae (直觉) for how to behave in different settings."
He points out that bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel neglectful, which could cause problems. Of course, approaching the child first can bring its own headaches, too.
This is why White recommends that you approach the parents first. "Raise your concerns with the parents if they're there and ask them to deal with it," she says.
Asked how to approach a parent in this situation, psychologist Meredith Fuller answers: "Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendship. Preface your remarks with something like: 'I know you will think I'm silly but in my house I don't want...'"
When it comes to situations where you're caring for another child, White is straightforward: "Common sense must prevail. If things don't go well then have a chat."
There're a couple of new grey areas. Physical punishment, once accepted from any adult, is no longer appropriate. "Now you can't do it without feeling uneasy about it," White says.
Men might also feel uneasy about dealing with other people's children. "Men feel nervous," White says. "A new set of considerations has come to the fore as part of the debate about how we handle children."
For Andrew Fuller, the child-centric nature of our society has affected everyone. "The rules are different now from when today's parents were growing up," he says. "Adults are scared of saying, 'Don't swear', or asking a child to stand up on a bus. They're worried that there will be conflict if they point these things out--either from older children, or their parents."
He sees it as a loss of the sense of common public good and public courtesy(礼貌), and says that adults suffer from it as much as children.
&nb
A. Make an apology.
B. Come over to intervene.
C. Discipline her own boy.
D. Take her own boy away.
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer.
(12)
A. Only true friendship can last long.
B. Letter writing is going out of style.
C. She keeps in regular touch with her classmates.
D. She has lost contact with most of her old friends.
How did people use to respond when their kids got into trouble at school?
A. They'd question the teachers.
B. They'd charge up to the school.
C. They'd tell the kids to calm down.
D. They'd put the blame on their kids.