Global Breaking News - Wednesday, May 1, 2024

 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be required to help with household tasks as soon as they are able to do so. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

There are some parents who believe that children should use all of their free time to participate in activities such as sports, music, playing with friends and doing extra homework instead of doing chores at home. Others think that children should be taught how to do housework as soon as they are old enough. I agree with the second opinion in that helping with household chores helps children learn the importance of cooperation and responsibility.
* free time = 자유 시간 / participate in = ~에 참가하다 / do chores = 집안일을 하다, 잡다한 일을 하다 / cooperation = 협동 / responsibility = 책임감

To begin with, children can learn about the importance of cooperation by helping their parents with the housework. If everyone in the home has their own role to play in keeping the home clean, children can learn how to cooperate in order to work as a team. For example, after I grew tall enough, I was given the chore of washing the dishes. My younger brother was given the job of drying and putting away the dishes in the cabinets. We were taught that only after the chores were done could our family have the time for more amusing activities. When one of us failed to do our job in a timely manner, there was little or no time left for family activities, like going to the movies or on a picnic. Thus, by doing our jobs as we were instructed, cooperating with each other, we were able to learn that cooperating with others enables people to complete tasks more efficiently.
* housework = 가사, 가사노동 / wash the dishes = 설거지하다 / put away = 집어넣다, 치우다 / amusing = 재미있는, 즐거운 / in a timely manner = 적절한 때에, 적시에 / family activity = 가족활동 / instruct = 가르치다 / efficiently = 능률적으로, 효율적으로

In addition, children can develop a sense of responsibility by helping with the housework. Suppose a boy is given the task of taking out the garbage on specific days and at specific times, the boy can learn to assume responsibility for following a schedule. If the child manages to take the garbage out when he is suppose to, the family will not have smelly garbage piling up in the home. However, when the child fails in his task, the family will have to put up with the terrible odors coming from the garbage. This will displease the entire family and the child will probably feel ashamed of his failure and work harder not to disappoint his family in the future. Hence, being assigned a certain duty will teach children to take responsibility and to fulfill that responsibility as best they can.
* a sense of responsibility = 책임감 / garbage = 쓰레기 / be supposed to = ~해야만 한다, ~하기로 되어있다 / smelly = 악취를 풍기는 / pile up = 쌓이다, 축적하다 / put up with = 참다, 참고 견디다 / odor = 냄새 / displease = 불쾌하게 하다, 기분 상하게 하다 / ashamed = 부끄러워 하는, 수치스러워 하는 / hence = 따라서, 그러므로 / assign = 할당하다, 배정하다 / duty = 의무, 책임 / fulfill = 실행하다, 이행하다

In conclusion, I strongly believe that children should help with the household tasks as soon as they are old enough. This is because children can learn how to cooperate and develop a sense of responsibility. Both of these skills will be useful in their future lives when they grow older.
* household task = 집안 일