【英语语言学习】美国父亲的变化
时间：2019-02-16 作者：英语课 分类：英语语言学习
英语课
Welcome to This Is America from VOA Learning English. I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
And I'm Bob Doughty 1. This week on our program, we look at modern changes in the American father.
Moms Are Great. But What About Dads?
Father's Day was observed this year on Sunday, June 16. This special day to honor and celebrate fathers has over a century of history behind it. In 1909 there was a woman named Sonora Dodd. She was in church at a service for Mother's Day, which is celebrated 2 in May.
Her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her father to raise her and her five brothers and sisters. She thought about how difficult it had been for her father to raise six children all by himself. She decided 3 that since there was a day honoring mothers, there should also be one recognizing fathers.
Sonora Dodd campaigned for the idea in her home state of Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The first Father's Day was celebrated in June of 1910 in the city of Spokane. June was the month her father was born.
At first Sonora Dodd had found little support. But in the years that followed, the idea of Father's Day spread across the country. It gained the approval of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Yet he never signed an official proclamation, as he did two years earlier for the first Mother's Day.
President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 added his support to a national observance of Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared it the third Sunday in June. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon made it permanent.
Other countries also celebrate Father's Day, some on the third Sunday in June, others on a different day.
Dads Are More than a Paycheck
OK, let's be honest. As holidays go, Mother's Day in America is still a bigger deal than Father's Day. But millions of dads receive at least a card or a call or maybe a necktie or some other gift from their family. And much has changed since that first celebration in 1910.
Kevin Roy is an associate professor in the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland. Professor Roy says fathers today are expected to do more than just provide financially for their families’ needs.
"Cultural expectations have changed kind of dramatically, where now we have what's called a package deal. Which means that fathers are now expected to not only be providers but also caregivers for their kids."
The change from providers to caretakers could be seen in the differences between two television fathers from different generations.
In the 1950s and early 60s, Robert Young played Jim Anderson on the family comedy "Father Knows Best." He was an insurance salesman who worked hard to provide for his family. He did not cook or clean much—that was his wife's job—but he was a thoughtful father and husband.
“Well Cathy, I don’t want a million dollars, or even a half a million. I only want enough money to have a nice home like we have, and good food, good health…and enough money to help those less fortunate than ourselves from time to time.”
“And enough to raise my allowance 4 a little.”
“I might even arrange that.”
By the time "The Cosby Show" began in 1984, it was common in American society for mothers to work. Bill Cosby played Heathcliff Huxtable, a loving husband and father who was a doctor married to a lawyer.
Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable were partners not only in marriage but in managing the household and parenting their children. Here, Cliff Huxtable tries to teach his son Theo an important life lesson.
“How do you expect to get into college with grades like this?”
“No problem. See, I’m not going to college.”
“Damn right.”
“I am going to get through high school and then get a job like regular people.”
“Regular people?”
“Yeah you know...who work in the gas station, drive a bus, something like that.”
“So what you’re saying is your mother and I shouldn’t care if you get Ds because you don’t need good grades to be regular people.”
“Right.”
He Never Said He Loved Me…Guess He Thought I Knew
In the 1970s, Harry 5 Chapin sang a song about a father who never seems to have time for his son.
When the father gets older and wants to connect with his son, the son is the one who is too busy. The song was called "Cat's in the Cradle 6."
In the early 1990s, Reba McIntyre described a similar situation between a father and daughter in "The Greatest Man I Never Knew."
When Dads Are in the Delivery Room…
Mike Kaufman is a radio broadcaster based in Washington, D.C. He considers himself a modern dad who got involved in parenting early.
"We both wanted to, you know, take on equal parts of the challenges, equal parts of the joy, equal parts of the burden and equal parts of the preparations."
Like many other couples, the Kaufmans took pregnancy 7 and childbirth classes together. They took another class that taught them life saving skills to use in an emergency.
So how does Mike's experience compare with the way he thinks of fathers when he was growing up?
"You have this vision of dads back then pacing in a waiting room, you know ready to hand out cigars, you know, as a congratulations. 'I just had a boy, just had a girl—whatever, we have a new child!' Now dads, you know they go to all the appointments with their wives, prenatally, all the doctor checkups. They’re in the delivery room when the baby is born. I mean, that’s definitely something that’s new."
…Moms Have to Adjust Too
Today men are often more involved than their fathers were in parenting their children and helping 8 with housework. Still, it is not always smooth sailing.
Julie Shields is the author of "How to Avoid the Mommy Trap: A Road Map for Sharing Parenting and Making It Work." She says creating a balance between partners takes work.
"The problem is, in the old days when people had a traditional division of labor 9, it was very clear as to who should do what."
Author Julie Shields says couples today often have a hard time trying to decide how to share responsibilities. Women often talk about needing more help from their husbands. Yet, she says some women have a hard time giving up control.
"Once we try to get our husband to do something and he starts to do it, we critique the way he does it. And then a lot of times the men will pull back. So it's very important once you've given up something, to stay out of it and not fix it if it goes wrong."
When it comes to parenting, she says, men may not do things the same way that women do. The "Mommy Trap" author says that does not mean they are doing it wrong, just differently—at least at first.
Is There Anything Dads Can’t Do?
According to the Census 10 Bureau, the United States had nearly 200,000 stay-at-home fathers in 2012. These are men who have stayed out of the labor force for at least one year, mainly to raise children while their wives go to work.
The number of stay-at-home dads is up by almost 50,000 in the last four years. And the number of stay-at-home moms has dropped 300,000 in those four years to 5 million.
Mike Stilwell is a stay-at-home dad. He is also the head of a support group in the Washington area known as DC Metro 11 Dads. He says the group has about 600 members. Most of them, including himself, stay at home by choice, he says. But there are times when the decision is simply a question of economics 12.
Mike Stilwell and his wife decided early that if the cost of child care got to be too much, one of them would quit work. That time came over 12 years ago. Mike has been a stay-at-home-dad ever since. He says most of the dads in his group have the same responsibilities, questions and concerns that stay-at-home moms have.
"The only thing that we always try to stress is that a stay-at-home dad can do the same things that a stay-at-home mom can do. I always like to joke with some of the new dads that come into the group that there's really only two things that a stay-at-home-dad can't do, and that's give birth and breastfeed."
Our program was written by June Simms. Transcripts 13, MP3s and podcasts of our programs are at learningenglish.voanews.com. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for This Is America from VOA Learning English.
We leave you with Luther Vandross and his Grammy-winning song of the year from 2003, "Dance with my Father."
And I'm Bob Doughty 1. This week on our program, we look at modern changes in the American father.
Moms Are Great. But What About Dads?
Father's Day was observed this year on Sunday, June 16. This special day to honor and celebrate fathers has over a century of history behind it. In 1909 there was a woman named Sonora Dodd. She was in church at a service for Mother's Day, which is celebrated 2 in May.
Her mother had died in childbirth, leaving her father to raise her and her five brothers and sisters. She thought about how difficult it had been for her father to raise six children all by himself. She decided 3 that since there was a day honoring mothers, there should also be one recognizing fathers.
Sonora Dodd campaigned for the idea in her home state of Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The first Father's Day was celebrated in June of 1910 in the city of Spokane. June was the month her father was born.
At first Sonora Dodd had found little support. But in the years that followed, the idea of Father's Day spread across the country. It gained the approval of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Yet he never signed an official proclamation, as he did two years earlier for the first Mother's Day.
President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 added his support to a national observance of Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson declared it the third Sunday in June. Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon made it permanent.
Other countries also celebrate Father's Day, some on the third Sunday in June, others on a different day.
Dads Are More than a Paycheck
OK, let's be honest. As holidays go, Mother's Day in America is still a bigger deal than Father's Day. But millions of dads receive at least a card or a call or maybe a necktie or some other gift from their family. And much has changed since that first celebration in 1910.
Kevin Roy is an associate professor in the Department of Family Science at the University of Maryland. Professor Roy says fathers today are expected to do more than just provide financially for their families’ needs.
"Cultural expectations have changed kind of dramatically, where now we have what's called a package deal. Which means that fathers are now expected to not only be providers but also caregivers for their kids."
The change from providers to caretakers could be seen in the differences between two television fathers from different generations.
In the 1950s and early 60s, Robert Young played Jim Anderson on the family comedy "Father Knows Best." He was an insurance salesman who worked hard to provide for his family. He did not cook or clean much—that was his wife's job—but he was a thoughtful father and husband.
“Well Cathy, I don’t want a million dollars, or even a half a million. I only want enough money to have a nice home like we have, and good food, good health…and enough money to help those less fortunate than ourselves from time to time.”
“And enough to raise my allowance 4 a little.”
“I might even arrange that.”
By the time "The Cosby Show" began in 1984, it was common in American society for mothers to work. Bill Cosby played Heathcliff Huxtable, a loving husband and father who was a doctor married to a lawyer.
Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable were partners not only in marriage but in managing the household and parenting their children. Here, Cliff Huxtable tries to teach his son Theo an important life lesson.
“How do you expect to get into college with grades like this?”
“No problem. See, I’m not going to college.”
“Damn right.”
“I am going to get through high school and then get a job like regular people.”
“Regular people?”
“Yeah you know...who work in the gas station, drive a bus, something like that.”
“So what you’re saying is your mother and I shouldn’t care if you get Ds because you don’t need good grades to be regular people.”
“Right.”
He Never Said He Loved Me…Guess He Thought I Knew
In the 1970s, Harry 5 Chapin sang a song about a father who never seems to have time for his son.
When the father gets older and wants to connect with his son, the son is the one who is too busy. The song was called "Cat's in the Cradle 6."
In the early 1990s, Reba McIntyre described a similar situation between a father and daughter in "The Greatest Man I Never Knew."
When Dads Are in the Delivery Room…
Mike Kaufman is a radio broadcaster based in Washington, D.C. He considers himself a modern dad who got involved in parenting early.
"We both wanted to, you know, take on equal parts of the challenges, equal parts of the joy, equal parts of the burden and equal parts of the preparations."
Like many other couples, the Kaufmans took pregnancy 7 and childbirth classes together. They took another class that taught them life saving skills to use in an emergency.
So how does Mike's experience compare with the way he thinks of fathers when he was growing up?
"You have this vision of dads back then pacing in a waiting room, you know ready to hand out cigars, you know, as a congratulations. 'I just had a boy, just had a girl—whatever, we have a new child!' Now dads, you know they go to all the appointments with their wives, prenatally, all the doctor checkups. They’re in the delivery room when the baby is born. I mean, that’s definitely something that’s new."
…Moms Have to Adjust Too
Today men are often more involved than their fathers were in parenting their children and helping 8 with housework. Still, it is not always smooth sailing.
Julie Shields is the author of "How to Avoid the Mommy Trap: A Road Map for Sharing Parenting and Making It Work." She says creating a balance between partners takes work.
"The problem is, in the old days when people had a traditional division of labor 9, it was very clear as to who should do what."
Author Julie Shields says couples today often have a hard time trying to decide how to share responsibilities. Women often talk about needing more help from their husbands. Yet, she says some women have a hard time giving up control.
"Once we try to get our husband to do something and he starts to do it, we critique the way he does it. And then a lot of times the men will pull back. So it's very important once you've given up something, to stay out of it and not fix it if it goes wrong."
When it comes to parenting, she says, men may not do things the same way that women do. The "Mommy Trap" author says that does not mean they are doing it wrong, just differently—at least at first.
Is There Anything Dads Can’t Do?
According to the Census 10 Bureau, the United States had nearly 200,000 stay-at-home fathers in 2012. These are men who have stayed out of the labor force for at least one year, mainly to raise children while their wives go to work.
The number of stay-at-home dads is up by almost 50,000 in the last four years. And the number of stay-at-home moms has dropped 300,000 in those four years to 5 million.
Mike Stilwell is a stay-at-home dad. He is also the head of a support group in the Washington area known as DC Metro 11 Dads. He says the group has about 600 members. Most of them, including himself, stay at home by choice, he says. But there are times when the decision is simply a question of economics 12.
Mike Stilwell and his wife decided early that if the cost of child care got to be too much, one of them would quit work. That time came over 12 years ago. Mike has been a stay-at-home-dad ever since. He says most of the dads in his group have the same responsibilities, questions and concerns that stay-at-home moms have.
"The only thing that we always try to stress is that a stay-at-home dad can do the same things that a stay-at-home mom can do. I always like to joke with some of the new dads that come into the group that there's really only two things that a stay-at-home-dad can't do, and that's give birth and breastfeed."
Our program was written by June Simms. Transcripts 13, MP3s and podcasts of our programs are at learningenglish.voanews.com. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for This Is America from VOA Learning English.
We leave you with Luther Vandross and his Grammy-winning song of the year from 2003, "Dance with my Father."
adj.勇猛的，坚强的
- Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
- The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。
adj.有名的，声誉卓著的
- He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
- The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
n.津贴，补贴，零用钱
- My monthly allowance is 50 yuan.我每月的津贴是50元。
- I have to work to earn my allowance.我非得工作挣零用钱。
vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
n.摇篮，策源地，支船架；vt.把...放在摇篮里
- The baby was rocked to sleep in a cradle.婴儿在摇篮里被摇得睡着了。
- Tokyo was the cradle of Japanese culture.东京是日本文化的发源地。
n.怀孕，怀孕期
- Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
- Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦
- We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
- He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。
n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查
- A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
- The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。
n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)
- Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
- The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。
n.经济学，经济情况
- He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
- One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。
n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本
- Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
- You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句