Reading
Children Ask Tough Questions
Before you start reading, study the following vocabulary:
tough
to struggle
leap year
stork
gooseberry bush
"Where does water come from?", "why is the sky blue?", "what is infinity?", and "where do babies come from?" are among the questions that parents struggle to answer for their children.
Basic questions from children about the planet, outer space and the human body leave most parents unable to give a correct answer, according to a survey of 2,500 parents. It also shows some of the strategies and stories parents use to deal with tough questions.
Top of the list is "how is electricity made?", "what are black holes?" and "what is infinity?” Other tough questions in the top ten include "why is the sky blue?", "why do we have a leap year?", "how do birds fly?", and "where do babies come from?"
Of those who prefer myths to truths, seven in ten parents use the explanation that "babies are delivered by storks" and 23 per cent say "babies are found under gooseberry bushes". Other popular answers include "I found them" and "babies are bought in Tesco at night on the top shelf by mums and dads only."
The survey also shows the common age for parents to tell their children the truth about reproduction is 10 years old. It also shows that parents find moral questions about God and religion hard to answer. When asked "where do you go when you die?” four in ten parents told their children they go to either heaven or hell, with 25 per cent of parents saying that "you become an angel". Meanwhile, one in six parents refuse to give their children a spiritual answer by telling them dead people are buried or cremated.
Other morally difficult questions included "why do people kill each other?", "why are some people born with disabilities?" and "why are people gay?”
Questions
What do the following phrases mean?
- “To prefer myths to truths” means
- “Common age for something” is
- “One in six parents REFUSE to give their children an answer” means
- “The questions that parents STRUGGLE to answer” means
- “UNABLE to give a correct answer” means
Are the following statements about the text correct?
1. Babies are delivered by storks.
2. When asked what happens if you die, most parents tell their children that you go either to heaven or hell.
3. Parents usually tell their children the truth about reproduction when they are 10 years old.
4. No parents tell their children that dead people are buried or cremated.
5. Questions about God and religion are quite easy.