Generation Gap
Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and is always true; it has never been truer than it is today.
These days, grown-ups describe children as "difficult", "rude", "wild" and "irresponsible". Only some people say that they will grow up to make our country a better place.
Sometimes teens think that having the right "stuff" is the quickest way to acceptance. To parents and teachers they can be a nightmare, aping the hairstyles, clothes and make-up of celebrities twice their age. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to the mass media. Being raised by single-parent families as well as watching TV, which sucks up most of their free time, can also accelerate the desire of children for being independent and creates behavior problems.
But the most painful part of childhood is the period when they begin to emerge from it: adolescence or the awkward age. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Adolescents are over conscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. And besides friends are becoming more and more important these yeas. At schools there are cliques who decide what is "cool". Adolescents may rebel violently against parental authority, but this causes them great unhappiness. And they are not always helped to get through a confusion of life in a steady, productive way. But even teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents can fall in with bad company.
Most children don't belong to any clubs and they just start roaming the street after school out of sheer boredom. A lot of them become addicted to drugs or alcohol because their life is hollow and they don't think of life-long goals. They have nothing to fill the emptiness of their souls with. They demand to have all that they see, and regard it as their right to be entertained every waking moment.
Nowadays children start using mobile phones very early. Teens and teens are so fascinated by them that they spend hours and hours at their personal computers or phones. The electronic universe replaces their contacts with friends and dominates their life completely. Obsession with gadgets brings about a mechanical, disillusioned mentality and inhibits their emotional development.
Answer the questions (питання переписати та вiдповiдати письмово)
1. Do you agree with the main ideas of this text?
2. What types of problems can you see in this text?
3. What real problems do teenagers face today?
4. What can you say about generational gaps between you and your parents?
5. Do you feel that teenagers need to show more respect to older generation?Why?
