Cue Card 17 – Describe an occasion when you spent time with a child

Describe an occasion when you spent time with a child

You should say:

  1. -Who the child was
  2. -What you did together
  3. -Why you did it
  4. -How you felt

  • To tell the truth, I am not a person who enjoys spending time with children, but sometimes even I have to babysit as many of my friends already have kids, I can’t say “NO” when they ask me for help.
  • Last year there was one occasion that I remember like it was yesterday because it was a nightmarish experience. One morning, still I was still in bed when my friend called me.
  • She asked me to look after her 3-year-old daughter as she had some important event that she could not miss, but her babysitter told her in the morning that she could not come for some reason and my friend understood she wouldn’t find another one at such a short notice.
  • What’s more, none of my friend’s relatives agreed to help out. I was about to say ‘no’, but she told me I was her last hope. And she said there was nobody else whom they could entrust their child to.
  • At first, everything was more or less ok because I managed to keep the kid occupied for some time. We played Hide and Seek in the house, watched cartoons together, built towers out of blocks.
  • Whoever builds the highest tower wins. I read Fairy Tales to her. Some hours later I started feeling like a slave because she demanded attention and refused to play on her own, but at some point, I understood I was out of ideas for things to do.
  • So she started crying. I felt terrible as things got out of hand and I didn’t know how to calm her down.
  • You know, each hour felt like an eternity and I couldn’t wait for my friend to come back home. I was so exhausted that I had just enough energy left to drag myself to bed.

FOLLOW UPS

Bringing up children

  1. For parents, what is important when bringing up their child?

Well, when raising a child it’s of primary importance for fathers and mothers to remember that they are the most powerful role models for a young individual. What is more, parents should show unconditional love and demonstrate trust to their kid because this is the basis on which life moves on. It’s not less essential for them to spend quality time with their son or daughter, encourage their special skills, brief their efforts and help them feel competent and confident. I would also add that it’s necessary for parents to establish a solid support system at home so that kids grow up satisfied with their achievements and ambitions because it will make both parents and kids happy.

  1. Is sweet a good thing to reward them?

Well, I wouldn’t say it is as children can start to associate feeling happy and accomplished with sugar. This behavioural pattern, as well as any other in fact, become imbedded in the brain resulting in a life-long connection between sugar-filled rewards and that desired feeling of comfort and satisfaction. It also encourages kids to eat when they are not hungry to reward themselves and, as a result, can undermine the healthy eating habits that parents are trying to teach the kids. So, I guess sweets can be a good thing to reward children only if they are given very seldom just to encourage good behaviour but at the same time not cause psychological dependence.

  1. Do you think mothers and fathers have a different role to play in bringing up a child?

No doubt they do. Of course, I agree that parenting trolls are blended these days and parents are sharing their roles increasingly but still I am sure that moms and that should teach the kids different things and display different roles in the bringing up. Moms responsibilities include such important things as making a child feel safe and emotionally secure, helping them develop strong moral principles early life and engaging them in various learning activities. Fathers, to my mind, have to provide physical protection, give financial support and display healthy authority in the home. They should also encourage independence and Exploration in children, push the limits but at the same time keep kids on the right path providing them with necessary psychological support and sense of security. Undoubtedly, moms can try to do it instead of that but it won’t be the same, I’m afraid.

  1. Do you think hitting children is sometimes necessary for discipline?

Definitely, no. To my mind, hitting has little to do with discipline. It doesn’t improve kids’ behaviour and, what’s worse, it is damaging for kids. It makes children feel humiliated and angry tempting them to lose their temper. It gives the message that hitting is an appropriate way to express feelings and solve problems. It has bad long-term effects. It distracts kids from learning How to resolve conflict in an effective and humane way. So it’s definitely not necessary for discipline, even sometimes.

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