Unit 6 It’s your turn     

Lesson 6.4   Teen tips for parents

Follow a conversation

Speak and listen

1. Worn in pairs. To what extent do you think the statements are true
2. It’s difficult being a teenager.
3. In general, adults don’ understand teenagers.

2. Listen to a radio interview.

Host: Telling it Like it is – is the title of a new book aimed at parents finding it hard to understand their teenage children. This book was written by two teenagers Talia and Zach.

Talia how did you come up with the idea for that book?

Talia:          So, Telling it Like it is started out as a blog. Well, maybe I should really start by saying that I love my mom and dad and really look up to them. But I like most parents, they can be really hard to get through to sometimes. I just can’t make them understand me.

Zach:           Can I just add that Talia can be equally hard to get through to sometimes?

Talia:          Thanks, Zach. Anyway, as I was saying…I usually get along with my parents just fine. But there are other times when we just don’t understand each other. So I started blogging about how it feels to be a teen having communication problems. And after writing for a few weeks, I started getting comments from other teens in similar situations.

Host:           I think this is where you come in, Zach, Is that right?

Zach:           Yes. Well…I posted a comment saying how I thought Talia’s blog was great, but a girl meant that she didn’t always see things from a guy’s perspective.

Talia:           Basically he told me we should write the blog together. So we started writing together, and it kind of clicked.

Host:           So I think and please correct me if I’m wrong-parents started reading your blog.

Talia:           That’s right.

Zach:           We started receiving messages from parents saying how much the blog had helped them.

Host:           Can you explain how?

Talia:          Well, for example, there are a lot of subjects that we find hard to bring with our parents that we discuss on the blog. By reading the blog, parents can see our points of view, making it easier for them to talk to their teens. Adults think we’re from another planet- which in Zach’s case it’s true.

Zach:           Hold on a minute.

Talia:          All I was going to say was that if you want to communicate with someone from another planet, it’s better to know something about the planet first. And the best person to give you that information is a native-not another adult saying we will grow out of it.

Zach:           Which is why we thought there was a need for a book- a book for parents written by teenagers finding it hard to communicate with their parents.

Talia:          And there can be a reason for communication breakdown, I mean a lot of parents behave as if teens don’t know anything. As a result, the teens feel patronized- as if they’re being looked down on all the time. Others are stressed because they are constantly trying to live up to their parents’ expectations but never feel they’re doing well enough. But we don’t just criticize parents; we offer concrete tips and suggestions.

3. Answer the questions.

1. What does Talia say about her parents?
2. What does Zach interrupt her to stay?
3. How did Talia and Zach start writing together?
4. In what ways has the blog helped parents?
5. What two reasons does Talia give for communication breakdown between teens and parents?
6. What makes the book practical as well as informative?

4. Work with words

Work in pairs. Complete the second sentences.

check up on          get away with       get through to      go back on

grow out of          live up to              look down on       look up to

make up for         stand up for

1. It’s really hard to make them understand you.

It’s really hard to __________ them.

2. They’ll stop doing it when they get older.

They’ll __________ it.

3. They have a very low opinion of the people we admire and respect.

They ___________ the people we __________.

4. It’s impossible to be as good as their expectations.

It’s impossible to ____________ expectations.

5. I wish they’d defend us against criticism.

I wish they’d ____________ us.

6. It’s frustrating when they don’t keep their promises.

It’s frustrating when they ____________ their promises.

7. If we don’t find out what they’re doing, they could behaved badly and not get punished.

If we don’t ___________ them, they could behave badly and __________ it.

8. It’s important to compensate for missed family time.

It’s important for parents to __________ missed family time.

5. Work in pairs. Discuss who would say the sentences above – a teenager,

                              a parent, or both.