ESL Podcast 558 – Being a Strict Parent

Allison: I’m almost ready for my granddaughter’s visit. She’ll be here tomorrow and I want everything to be perfect.

Ola: What do you have planned?

Allison: I’m going to spoil her rotten. My daughter is very strict and doesn’t allow her to do anything that a normal 10-year-old wants to do.

Ola: Like what?

Allison: Well, her time is very structured and regimented. She’s never allowed any time for just frivolous¹ fun.

Ola: And you’re taking off the shackles².

Allison: That’s right. She can play as much as she wants to for the next week. I don’t want her to miss out on any experiences just because her mother is overprotective. There will be no curfews and no time schedules.

Ola: Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m sure your daughter has instructions about how your granddaughter should behave and the punishments she should get if she misbehaves.

Allison: You’re right about that. I’m expecting a long list of rules for my granddaughter while she’s here, but she shouldn’t expect me to toe the line. I’m the grandmother after all, so I have special privileges. Nobody tells me what to do with my own granddaughter.

Ola: How did a free spirit like you end up with a daughter who is so uptight³?

Allison: Beats me.

Ola: She’s not going to thank you for spoiling her daughter, you know.

Allison: I know, but I’m her mother and there’s still a thing or two I can teach her about raising a daughter!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

2 shackles   

手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊

参考例句：

• a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism 为摆脱殖民主义的枷锁而斗争的国家
• The cars of the train are coupled together by shackles. 火车的车厢是用钩链连接起来的。

3 uptight   

adj.焦虑不安的，紧张的

参考例句：

• He's feeling a bit uptight about his exam tomorrow.他因明天的考试而感到有点紧张。
• Try to laugh at it instead of getting uptight.试着一笑了之，不要紧张。