VOCABULARY

 bulge- n.[C]- an outward curve or lump on sth that is usually

flat;
v. [I]- 1) to stick out of sth that is normally flat :
‘My stomach is starting to bulge. I must get more excercises.’
2) bulge with sth=to be full of sth:
‘His bags were bulging with presents for the children.’

 draft- (usually passive) US to order sb to join the armed forces:

‘Jack was drafted to the army two days ago’

 unprecedented- adj. never having happened or existed

before
‘Her sudden exclamation was unprecedented. She is rather an easy person’.

 adolescence- n. the period of a person’s life between

being a child and becoming an adult, between the ages of approx. 13-17
‘Mary was very lonely in her adolescence as her parents had died when she
was a little baby’.

 depict- v. 1) give a picture of‘a painting depicting a country

sceen’;
2)describe in words: ‘The novel depicts rural life a century
ago’

 cling- v.1) cling to sb/sth ;hold fast or stick closely- to cling to

a rope; ‘Her wet clothes clung to her.’


2)to continue to believe that sth is true, often when it is

not reasonable to do so; ‘Jonsons were still clinging to the hope that their
little doughter would be found alive.’

 clique- n. [C], a small group of people with the same interests

who do not want others to join the group: ‘Get lost, Mary, this is a secret
meeting of our clique and we do not want you here!’
  immerse- v. immerse yourself in sth = to involve yourself
deeply in sth so that you give it all your attention :
‘The teenagers immerse themselves in a universe out of their parents’ reach’.

VOCABULARY

 mundane- adj ordinary, not interesting : ‘Kate has a very

mundane job. She only sits at the desk and writes and writes…’

 sibling- n. [C], formal, a brother or a sister : ‘Surveys show that

there is a vast jealousy between siblings’

 forlorn- adj lonely and unhappy, not carried for : ‘Never

before have I known such a forlorn person!’

 vacuum- n. a space that contains no substance and no air or

gas:

‘I feel I have a strange vacuum in my life’

 torment- v. to cause sb great pain or unhappiness :

‘The older boys were always tormenting Tom in the school playground.’

 contraceptive- n. a pill or an object that prevents a

woman from becoming pregnant: ‘She is very active sexually but uses
contraceptives so as not to get pregnant yet.’

 counterpart- n. a person or thing that has a similar

position or function to sb/sth else : ‘Sue is my counterpart in our New
York office’.

 puberty- n. the time when a child’s body is changing and

becoming physically like that of an adult

 bicker - v. to quarrel about unimportant things : ‘The boys

were bickering about whose turn it was to play with Jane.’
 to live on your/my own = alone, :’John lives all on his own.’

 mourn- mourn for/over sb/sth- to feel great sadness, especially

because sb has died: ‘She is still mourning for her child.’

 chore- n. a job that is not interesting but that you must do :

household chores’

 seize- PHR V: seize (on /upon) sth- to recognize an opportunity

and to use it eagerly: ‘Every time I see Lucy coming along my street, I
seize opportunity to talk to her’
 ‘Do Parents Know Their Kids?’
from: Newsweek, May 10, 1999

Teenagers form a strong and a numerous group nowadays. They

belong to different groups, called ‘subcultures’ such as: jocks, preps, punks,
Goths, geeks.
When they are in their cliques, they behave as a one body – they feel relaxed
and safe among people who do the same, dress in the same way, are all alike.
The new teen wave which arose from the universe of Cable and the
Internet, is now bigger, richer, healthier and better educated than whenever in
the history. But…There is also a sad, dark side of that, seemingly strong
wave, the side that is not often noticed by most of parents. It is the problem
of teenagers loneliness and alienation.
Surveys show, that the problem has its roots deep in he way of
bringing children up, and I also strongly support that view. Although teens
are in many ways uniquely privileged: they have grown up in a period of
freedom, prosperity and haven’t had to worry about the draft, wars and other
global conflicts, as their ancestors did, they are not really happy. They have
grown up in a period of commerce which has given them access to an infinite
amount of information. It seems that they live in the world of happiness, out
of problems and free of cares. Do they really live like that?
No, no at all. In survey after survey, many kids- even those ambitious
and those on the honor role- say they feel increasingly alone and alienated,
unable to connect with their parents, teachers and sometimes even
classmates. They are desperate for guidance, and when they don’t get what
they need at home or in school- they try to find the acceptance in cliques, or
involve themselves deeply in the universe of computer games, movies and
TV, the universe full of brutality, drugs and sex.
It is enough to have a look at American teenagers’ lifestyle, whose
patterns are taken straight from mass media :

SEXUAL ACTIVITY: only one out of five teenagers by the age of 20 is still a
virgin. 26 percent of boys and 23percent of girls have had sexual intercourse at
the age of 15. At the age of 19 almost 90 percent of females and males are
sexually active, that does not necessary mean they have the only one partner or
are married.

Going further, many teens say they feel overwhelmed by responsibilities and
pressure of their parents and other people. Some of them have lived through
parents’ divorce, 63% have grown up in families where both parents work
outside the home and do not pay enough attention to their kids. In fact, of all the
issues that trouble adolescence, loneliness appears at the top of the wide list.
Sociologists and psychologist claim that most of teenagers spend at least 3,5
hour alone every day. And it is exactly the loneliness that makes an emotional
vacuum in teenagers’ lives, which is than filled by an intense peer culture. If
parents pay little attention to what the children do, how they feel and behave or
let the children go their own way, teenagers come up with their own rules, where
brutality, rudeness, tormenting and breaking law are parts of their daily lives.
These teens, who feel especially lonely and are isolated from parents are
also vulnerable to serious emotional problems which lead young people to
drugs, braking laws, and even suicide attempts, such as overdosing non
prescription pills, getting drunk and crashing car in suicidal thoughts, etc.

Today the graphs showing the teens ‘misbehavior’ are alarming. Have a look at
the percentage of teenagers: (1995)
1. doing drugs: 27%
2. smoking: 38%
3. drinking: 54%
What is more, over 90% of them say it is easy to get marijuana if they want it.

So, what should be done by parents to better understand their kids and
brought them up in a proper way? In my opinion, they should start to talk to
their children from the very beginning and try to be always in the right place
and time to come with advice and help.
Well, in the teenage years, the relationship between parents and children is
constantly evolving as the kids edge toward independence. I know from my
own experience that the most ‘crazy’ period of teenagers’ live ( but also the
most vulnerable to others’ influence) is the middle adolescence. Early
adolescence is a period of transition, a period of ‘living on my own’ and ‘doing
whatever I wish’. Than comes the middle adolescence- teenagers begin to
develop a unique sense of identity and are especially sensitive to the relationship
with their parents and others. And that level is the best for parents to regain their
kids’ trust (if they somehow lost it earlier).
I agree with sociologists and psychologists who say that the most important
thing while bringing children up is talking to them everywhere and constantly,
seizing any opportunity to talk – in the car, over the breakfast table, while
watching TV. Parents should be more patient with their kids, even though many
of children in their adolescence push their mothers and fathers away.
Patience, paying attention to children, talking to them and being a part of their
lives- especially in the harder period, the middle adolescence- these are the
parents’ tasks. Only than parents and children can rely on each other and address
themselves as the best friends.