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Teens Talk About Family (KidsHealth Videos)
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In this video, teens talk about living with parents and siblings -- the things they argue about and how they get along.

I'm blessed to have really really nice parents, and they're always looking out for me. That being said though, you do quarrel sometimes.

My relationship with my parents I think, relatively, is pretty good. Obviously there are the moments where, being a teenager, I don't really feel like talking to them, don't really feel like letting them into my life.

When something's on my mind, I usually go to my friends about it, I don't really talk to my brother.

I do find it difficult to talk to my parents, because they put a lot of pressure on me, say I can tell them anything. But that just makes me feel like maybe they just want to know, and I'm not so sure if I want to tell them about some of my problems.

I have a little brother who's about 1 years old... 1 year old. And my mum and I always argue because, uhm... I have to watch him a lot, and it's part of my job... is, you know, as a member of the family I do have to look after my siblings. Uhm... so I always think I should not have to look after them for very long.

Every weekend we have like a little family movie night where we just uhm... kick back and relax, watch a fun little movie. Those... most of our arguments are over what movie we watch.

We don't exactly get along all that well. I mean we argue a lot. And...uhm... k-k-Kinda everything turned into an argument and it's kinda hard to get along with him sometimes.
Yeah.

My sister's like, "No, let's watch Rainbow Pony Unicorn Saves Happy Clown Land", and I'm like "No, let's watch this awesome Terminator death movie."

Well, being an only child is... it has its pros and cons. Uhm... the pros are your parents kind of become your brothers and sisters and they become your friends.

The best thing about having a little sister is somebody to pick on.

The cons are sometimes I do get lonely when my friends are away and I have nothing do do except sit and... think.

The best thing, honestly, is that you always have somebody to talk to or hang out with.

She dances in the living room all the time. And she sings really loudly in her room so that the whole house can hear.

He makes irritating noises, and I tell him to stop more than once very nicely, and he doesn't stop.

I have a big sister who I can really talk to about a lot of stuff. Especially when, uhm... you know, I just, I feel my-my inhibitions hold me back from talking to my mom and dad about it.

She also always dances around the house a lot. So that, that gets in the way of just going to do things. Like you have to wait for her to like to finish her plié or something before you can move.
And I dance in public too.
That too. Sometimes I just walk away.

He calls me a loser. And, I like, snap. And I don't like it like at all.
I call everybody a loser, so.
You call me a loser more than anyone else.
That's true.

Being an only child's fun to me because I don't really have to worry about some other kid running around the house. Or sharing something, cause I'm an only child, and I get a lot of attention, which I like.

So it's always nice to have a sibling who's pretty much always there for you.






Why is the word LIKE usually in bold type in the transcript?

Notice the use of the word LIKE in some interventions. Sometimes, this LIKE is not the verb TO LIKE (I like my sister) or the comparison preposition LIKE (she is like a baby), but a word that means nothing. This fuzzy LIKE can be used as a gap filler, while you are thinking or for no reason:

- Like you have to wait for her to like to finish her plié = You have to wait for her to finish her plié

We can use the phrase KIND OF (often pronounced KINDA) exactly in the same way as the fuzzy LIKE.

We have put the words LIKE and KINDA (or Kind of) in bold type when it functions as the "fuzzy like" with no real meaning, so you notice how much this strange word is used in normal conversation, especially when you have to say a few sentences together (like when explaining something, narrating, etc)

OTHER EXPRESSIONS

I'M BLESSED TO HAVE...= I am very lucky because I have... (the use of BLESSED means that the good thing you mention is a gift from God, although you can also use this expression without thinking of God).

LOOKING OUT FOR ME= Looking after me.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH,= What I just said is true but, nevertheless, ...

YOU DO QUARREL= The DO here is emphasizing the following verb. QUARREL is to have an argument.

PRETTY GOOD= Quite good. (in conversational English we often use PRETTY with the meaning of QUITE)

BEING A TEENAGER= Because I am a teenager.

WHEN SOMETHING'S ON MY MIND= When I am worried about something.

MUM (BrE) = MOM (AmE). In both cases the pronunciation is more or less /mʌm/ , but because both accents sound different, they need to have different spellings to show the same pronunciation.

SIBLING= Brother or sister.

KICK BACK= Relax, get comfortable.

GET ALONG= Have a good relationship.

ALL THAT WELL= In conversational English we sometimes use THAT instead of SO with adjectives in negative sentences (not that well = not so well). When we do that, we can use ALL to emphasize THAT (not all that well = not so so well)

MY SISTER'S LIKE "***"= (coll.) My sister says "***"

AWESOME= /ɔ:səm/ Wonderful, great, fantastic.

PROS AND CONS= Good and bad things; advantages and disadvantages.

PICK ON= Tease; insult; abuse.

HANG OUT WITH= If you hang out with your friends, etc., you spend time with them having fun.

STUFF= (coll.) Things.

HOLD ME BACK FROM= If something holds you back from doing something, you feel you can't do it, it stops you from doing it.

PLIÉ= (French word) The name of a specific ballet step.

A LOSER= A loser is somebody who is not successful, but in the USA it is used as an insult so often that most of the times it is simply an insult, with no particular meaning at all.

SNAP= If you snap, you suddenly go tense and burst out in fury, so you fight or insult back.

 

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