Материал для обсуждения темы "Проблемы подростков"

Teenage Problems

1) Read through these texts and try and determine what the words in bold mean.

2) After reading through each text, get your students to discuss the following questions (Where applicable):

• What might the relationship be between the person and his / her parents?
• How must he / she feel?
• What sort of social background do you think he/she comes from?
• Why do you think he / she has this problem?
• What should he / she do? (Give at least 3 suggestions)

Should I Marry Him?

I have been with my fiance for almost four years, We are going to get married next year but, there are a couple of problems I have: one is that he never talks about his feelings, he keeps everything inside of him. He sometimes also has trouble with showing his excitement and happiness about things. He never buys me flowers or takes me to nice restaurants. He says that he doesn't know why, but he never thinks of things like that.

I don't know if he has depression or, maybe, he is tired of me. He says that he loves me and that he wants to marry me. If this is true, what is his problem? Why does he do this to me?

(Female, 19)

For Friendship or Love?

I'm one of those guys who has "the quite normal" problem: I'm in love with a girl, but I don't know what to do. I have already had a crush on some girls, never with any success, but this is something different. My problem is actually that I'm too cowardly to tell her anything. I know that she likes me and we're very, very good friends. We've known each other for about three years, and our friendship has become better over the years. We often get into quarrels, but we always make up. Another problem is that we often talk about problems with each other, and so I know she is having problems with her boyfriend (who I think is no good for her). We meet almost every day. We always have lots of fun together, but I don't know if it is okay to love someone who has been such a good friend to you until now. I'm worried if I tell her it will destroy our friendship.

(Male, 15)

Please Help me and My Family

My family don't get along. It's like we all hate each other. It's my mom, me, my two brothers and a sister. I am the oldest. We all have our problems: My mom wants to quit smoking so she is really stressed out. I am really selfish (I just can't help it). One of my brothers is too bossy. He thinks he is better than the rest of us and that he is the only one who helps my mom. My other brother is kind of abusive and depressed. He always starts fights and he's really spoiled (my mom doesn't yell at him for doing things wrong and when she does, he laughs at her); My sister (who's 7) makes messes and doesn't clean them up. I really want to help because I don't like being upset all of the time and have everyone hate everyone else. Even when we start to get along, someone will say something to upset someone else. Please help me and my family.

(Female, 17)

Hates School

I hate school. I hate going so I don't go almost every day. Luckily, I am a clever person and I am in all of the best classes and don't have a reputation as a rebel. Only the people who really know me know about my strange feelings. My parents don't care - they don't even say anything if I don't go to school. What I end up doing is sleeping all day and then staying up all night talking to my girlfriend. I get behind in my work and when I try to go back to school all my teachers and friends get angry with me for rarely coming to school. I just get so depressed when I think about it. I have given up on trying to go back and now am thinking about leaving school forever, but I really don't want to do that because I know it would destroy my life. I don't want to go back at all but I also don't want it to destroy my life. I am so confused and I have really tried to go back and I just can't do it anymore. What should I do? Please help me.

(Male, 16)