English, baby!

Big Families

Date: Apr 03 2009

Themes: Family

Grammar: The Unreal Past

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Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Recently, an American woman named Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets. Octuplets! That’s eight babies. And she already had 6 other children at home. Can you imagine how exhausted you’d be if you were a single mother with 14 children?

Nadya and her brood may be an extreme example, but lots of people want to have big families. For one thing, having more kids means more chances that at least one of them will turn out OK. But children are also a lot of work. And from diapers to college tuition, each one comes with a high price tag. According to one estimate, it costs an average American family over $250,000 to raise a child!

Marni is surprised that Ella wants to have a lot of children. Listen to them talk about the ideal family size.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Ella

Marni: So that woman who recently had 8 babies, it’s made me really think about the nature of big families and how it’s pretty unnecessary in this day and age to have that many children.

Ella: Well, I don’t know, like, it could work. I mean, we have an overpopulation problem. But if I have kids, I think I want four.

Marni: Four. Really.

Ella: Well, okay. So, one would be an only child. Two, what would happen if they hated each other? There’s a problem there. Then you have three, there’s the whole “I’m the middle, I’m the youngest.” So four would be just right.

Marni: So you really think that four is the perfect amount?

Ella: Yeah, I just, I’ll figure the finances later. But I don’t know, it’d be fun!

Marni: Fun? But really, you have to think about the expense of it. And like you said, there is an overpopulation problem. We don’t need four children in this day and age. People used to have big families to do farm work and stuff like that, and that’s pretty much non-existent.

Ella: I’ll live on a farm.

Marni: You’ll live on a farm. OK. So, if you really want four children do you think maybe you’d consider the Brad and Angelina Jolie route, adopting and having your own?

Ella: Yeah, totally! Maybe half my own and the other half help some other kids that need help.

Marni: OK…

Ella: Yeah, I’m open to anything.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

Farmers used to need lots of children to help out around the farm. But Marni thinks it’s unnecessary in modern society to have a big family. When you think about overpopulation and how many unwanted children there are in this world, having lots of children can seem like a pretty selfish thing to do.

But Ella is sure that she wants to have four kids. She thinks four is the perfect number to avoid sibling rivalry and make sure that all the kids get along. She isn’t worried about how much it would cost to raise four kids. But she is worried about overpopulation, so maybe she’ll adopt two of the four kids.

Are you part of a big family or a small family? How many kids do you have or want to have?

Comments

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franklyn28

Dominican Republic

I thing having a big family is an advantage and sometime, disavantage, it just will depend of family´s economy. I came from a big family, we are 6, 3 sisters and 3 brothers. My parents are happy because we support to each one.

Girls_lover

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

All of you have small families

I have one brother and four sisters and this numbers may increase

dugueline

Haiti

having a big familly is no god specially in this economy you can get frutrated ,and stressfull at least three kids are the most someone supposed to have.

clemmie

Canada

I totally agree 3 or 4 kids grow up together would be more comfortable and fun for them. However, time and financial problem is a big deal that must be considered by a couple rising 4 kids in this day and age. Rising a child is a not simple thing. It needs a lot of time and energy besides money. So, be thoughtful to have a kid…It is just my own opinion

want-to-know

Russian Federation

I have a brother and a sister. In Russia the families with 3 children are considered to be a big family.

We were poor. But there were a lot of love in our family. If you ask me what I would prefer: to have more clothes and toys in my childhood or to have my brother and my sister, of course I would say I prefer to have my siblibgs. Love, not money, is the main thing in a family.

hadjira

Algeria

I'm not with big family or small family, I think to have a big family is nice and even a small family, all these it depends on our situation and condition, so if the family are able to bear ( well education and more thing..)why no

In my case, it depend in my future , but it would be OK to have four children.

the population is wealth specially the youth but the government should do something to this population.

shr6ya-ko0ol

Kuwait

i have big family

i have 2 sister and 3 brothers. we don't have any problems in our life.

thats all

shr6ya-ko0ol

Kuwait

ummm, no as she say, it's very hard to own big family and children's. They have to care of them and have a lot of finance to buy things for them such as food, milk, clothes…etc. every things for babies. I like babies very much between age 10 month to 2 year. I want to have 30 babies if i can lol. it's big number i know. in this day and age actually in Kuwait it's open to have more then 10 babies. So no problem.

I'm with having than more 4 babies. Nothing wrong

amany7

Saudi Arabia

Ohh too much …

softy25

Germany

big families….is a relative term,for a millianore,5 0r 7 kids are welcome, if they dont feel shy…but for a dish cleaner,only 2 or 3 kids will do…..child gives a psychological legacy to parents that they have contributed to world`s creation.adoption movement should be encouraged to adjust the overpopulation in thirdworld countries.It will give us more solutions.COMMUNITY PARENTS must be honoured like saints.

Spartan

Nigeria

Personally, I see nothing wrong with having lots of children-IF U CAN CARE FOR THEM! I'm the last of 5 kids and frankly i think its fun! you get all the attention and stuffs. When i was younger, i thought having 11 boys will be great, a whole soccer team that calls you dad! hehe. But now, Reality has caught up with me and i want only 3. A girl as first and two boys!

Maniasha

Russian Federation

you may have as many children as you want. you only must realise all the problems of growing children. give them what you must give, what would you like to get from your parents maybe

chief_wang

China

Things always have two sides. More children mean more problems for parents, but more happiness for kids. I don't have a big family, but personally prefer to the number of three

SÉRGIO

Brazil

I've got a small family and I agree with Marni on how many children to have!

I expect to have just one kid!!

larrychen

China

agreed so much, one child will be too lonely living in a family

larrychen

China

agreed so much, one child will be too lonely living in a fimily

ximuoi

Viet Nam

I want to have two kids in the future. If I just have one, my child will be very lonely because he ( she) has no sibling. If I have more than two, I think I can not take care of them well. Nowadays, everything is very expensive. So I think that two children are perfect. You can support them, take them to the best shool, best food and clothes.

Fairstorm

Tunisia

Children are among the best gifts that we could receive in this life. However, raising them is a tough task whatever their number.

*Pink*

Germany

I agree to bartek, I've got an younger brother too . He is 12…In future I would like to have one or two own children and one adopted i think. But they have to be different from the age for example one is 3 years and the other one 10 years. This might be a lot of easier because they wouldn`t be teenagers in the same time. But first my career is really important to me because i want to give my kids a good future and so on. This is my opinion and not everybody has to agree with it