University M'sila

Department of English
Course: Oral Expression
Second Year LMD Students
Teacher: Miss. Hamouma

Raising Children
Text Completion Quiz .1
Interviewer: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our show, Families in
Transition. We'd also like to welcome our guest today, Dr. Philip
Monroe, director of the Family Relations Center here in our city. He is
also the author of the book, ..
..
Philip: Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here on your program today.
Interviewer: So, first of all, what...
?
..?
Philip: Well, it is
or,
and that is really true. I guess you could say that
through. .
and a number of mistakes . . . I realized that I personally
needed to figure out how to become a better parent, too. I mean, for
myself. And before I got married, I
and
to try to prepare myself for this transitional phase in my own life, but
every family and situation is so, and
are often so complex that
.
.
Interviewer: Yeah, that's for sure. Um, Doctor. How many children
do you have?
Philip: We have five. [Really? That's . . . that's quite a lot.] Well,
yeah, and they're all unique,
.
Interviewer: ... That sounds like many houses,
including my own. [Exactly.] And your book. What do you mean
by successful children?
Philip: Well, I should first point out that I'm not thinking
,
..one .

Interviewer: Well, what do you mean by success then?

Philip: Well, I'm referring to success in

... For example, people, umm . . .

people get angry and , and that's a part of life, and just telling
kids not to be upset or frustrated
.., and it doesn't teach children
.
Interviewer: So, you're saying that it's okay to get angry?
Philip: , I mean, ..?
Interviewer: Well, yeah. Of course.
Philip: Well, that's, I guess, what I'm trying to say . . . is that we all
get angry, but learning how to express it appropriately is the key. Not
to., but .
.., ., then
they don't understand or underestimate the realities of
.
Interviewer: I think I see your point. So,
.., what can we, as parents,
do to better understand and relate to our children?
Philip: When you first get married and promise to love
, few of us are , at that moment,
the potential challenges we will face five, ten, or twenty years down
the road. You don't look over at your spouse, or future spouse, and
say, "Well, honey. There's a good chance we will get divorced in a
few years." I don't think anyone was thinking that. "Uh. Isn't that any
interesting fact?" Of course.
.., and ...
..
Interviewer: I agree with you there. I think .
.
Philip: I think in many cases.
Interviewer: I know in my own life. I don't know if I would dare to

....
Philip: Exactly. And I think that although we hear stories about the
difficulties in raising children, that seems light years away, and we
2

would rather not contemplate that on, well, I think on our wedding
days. However, we must face the realities of life sooner or later, and
having some skills in your, let's say, .
,
,.., and spiritual strength later on when we really need
to drawn on it.
Interviewer: Like when, for example?
Philip: First of all, one should understand that there are many
factors that influence how children grow up and develop including
, , , school teachers, and
...
Interviewer: Yeah, ..

Philip: Exactly. However, as parents, we have more control over

some of these than others.
Interviewer: Can I..... [Sure.] I think we also
have more control than we realize over some of these factors.
Philip: Right, it's just.... ---peers are
one---but also, within ourselves, we have the ability to influence, I
think, children. However,

..... In other words, while

parents perhaps have the most impact on our children's decisions
and attitudes, we can't ignore the fact that children . . . uh,
particularly teenagers....

.
Interviewer: So, what else?
Philip: Well,

.... I mean, children

often see rules as a way to limit their freedom when in fact we're just
trying to protect them from often ...of their actions. But
when children .
,.., , they'll respond . . . . at
least we hope they will respond . . . better to our requests, and in
return, ..
., and they no longer see
rules and barriers as things that stop them.
Interviewer: That makes a lot of sense.
3

Philip: And perhaps, finally, establish good lines of communication

with your spouse and
children...
... ..
And doing this will foster perhaps
positive relationships with them. And also telling them you know how
they feel---and this is a common mistake that I often make--- "I know
how you feel" . . .
Interviewer: Yeah, I can remember my mom saying that.
Philip: Right, and then we often say that well because we have a
billion years of experience
., even if
teenagers are some .

Interviewer: Yeah, ..... Okay, ..

.
.?...
Philip: Well, there . . . I think there were a number of years I thought
about this, but only recently
..
.., quote "arrive" close quote, . I
mean it involves a
,., , and ... And
more often than not, .. but that
accompany... All
., even
. It's hard, but we just can't take
it personally. And..
.
..
Interviewer: Thank you so much. That sounds like a really
important message and important book. Thank you for joining our
show today.
Philip: Thank YOU. My pleasure.

2. Key Vocabulary
inspired (adjective):
- She felt inspired to seek professional help in raising her kids.
credentials (noun):
- We're looking for a family therapist with good credentials and can
relate well to our kids.
4

 rear (verb):
- It isn't easy to rear children in today's society.
dull (adjective):
- Life can be really dull if families don't do fun things together.
depressed (adjective):
- People often feel depressed with nothing seems to be going right in
their relationships with a spouse or a child.
cope with (verb):
- Sometimes, I have a hard time coping with the stresses of rearing
children, and I don't know if I'm helping them to succeed emotionally
and spiritually.
contemplate (verb):
- When I contemplate on the many challenges I have had in life so far, I
would have to say that learning to listen without making judgements is
one of the hardest skills to learn.
peers (noun):
- Teenagers are often influenced by their peers, either in a positive or
negative way.
implement (verb):
- We have learned a lot of new parenting skills that we want
to implement in our family.
latitude (noun):
- We allow our children a certain amount of latitude when it comes to
their curfews. If they follow all the family rules and show a great deal of
responsibility, then we sometimes let them stay out longer on the
weekends.
lavish (verb):
- Instead of lavishing our kids with gifts for Christmas, we ought to
teach them to serve others who are in need.
missteps (noun):
- A misstep in correcting our children without compassion and
understanding can create a problem in our relationship.

Listening Exercises .3
1. What was the impetus for Monroe's new book on children?
A. He argues that rearing children is often more difficult that people
anticipate
.
B. He believes that no other book covers the challenges of raising
children.
C. Dr. Monroe asserts that poor parental skills can contribute to problem
children.
2. According to Monroe, successful children are ones who:
A. are able to manage their emotional state in appropriate ways.
B. can remain calm at all times without getting upset or angry.
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C. achieve their future educational and financial goals.

3. Based on Monroe's comments, which group has the greatest
influence on children's behaviors and ideas?
A. teachers
B. friends
C. parents
4. Parents should view the use of family rules as a way to:
A. restrict what children can do and say.
B. provide more opportunities for freedom.
C. communicate more openly with children.
5. Which point can we infer from Monroe's final comments?
A. Taking parenting classes can help us grow closer to our children.
B. Raising children in today's world can be an arduous process.
C. Joy can always be attained in every aspect of child rearing

4. Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Questions

1. Parents shouldn't _______________ children with everything they
want without allowing kids to work for some things.

A. contemplate
B. lavish
C. implement

2. Kids are often influenced by their ___________, but in addition to

these people, children's parents can have an impact on children's
choices and decisions.

A.

teaching

B. peers
C.

values

3. I have worked off my ____________ to provide a good life for my

children.

A. heart
B. tail
C. head

4. Learning to __________________ problems in a family is vital to our

success as parents. With such skills, families can resolve issues
more effectively.

A. cope with
B. implement
C. adopt

5. If children feel __________________, they might need professional

help and counseling

A. satisfied
B. depressed
C.

fulfilled

5. IDIOMS!
drive someone nuts/crazy" =
"My kids sometimes drive me nuts when they leave the house a
mess."
leave the nest" =

"Many kids aren't financially ready to leave the nest when they turn
18 years old."

6. Post-Listening
Exercises
Parenting is one job people take on without any experience. It is not like
working at a restaurant. Therefore, in what ways can new parents prepare
for the new adventure as parents? What challenges do parents face in
raising and caring for new infants, toddlers, teenagers, and even adult
children?