Fatherhood
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Mark | Todd |
Todd: So, Mark, I see you have beautiful pictures of your child up here. I didn’t know you had a baby!
Mark: Yeah, baby Roy is about 1 year and 4 months old now.
Todd: Oh wow, that’s exciting!
Mark: Yeah I mean everyone said there would be lots of changes in your life, but it’s probably changed my wife’s life more than mine. But I still enjoy giving him his bath and helping put him to bed and playing with him in the mornings and at the weekend.
Todd: Oh, that’s great. So, what’s it like being a father?
Mark: A lot of fun. As I said, I think my wife has a harder job looking after him during the day. The father can have the good jobs in the evening and the early morning and at the weekend.
Todd: So is your child speaking yet?
Mark: Not quite, but he understands English and Japanese. So if we tell him off in either language he runs away and starts crying. He’s just started walking.
Todd: Ok, oh that’s got to be tough.
Mark: It’s getting tougher. We just have to childproof the house more.
Todd: So how do you childproof the house?
Mark: Make sure that all breakables are above the level where he can reach, that’s the most important thing.
Todd: Now, when you have a child, like, first of all how much does the baby sleep?
Mark: Well he’s a good sleeper. He’s basically always slept from about 9 in the morning, 9 in the evening until 6.30 or 7 in the morning. He’s waking up a little bit earlier now because it’s lighter earlier.
Todd: Oh, wow, so what does your child like to do? Do you play special games with your …, with Roy?
Mark: He’s into dancing at the moment. He really likes the beat of the BBC world music so he looks forward to the BBC news at the hour. He likes going to the sandpit and playing with the other children from the neighbourhood.
Todd: Well, you have a lovely child.
Mark: Thank you.
look after
I think my wife has a harder job looking after him during the day.
You 'look after' someone if you are responsible for him and care for him. You can look after young children, older people and animals. Notice the following:
- When my neighbor is on vacation I will look after his dog.
- She looks after her sick grandfather on Sundays.
childproof
We just have to childproof the house more.
When you 'childproof' a thing or a place you make it safe for children, so they don't touch dangerous objects or chemicals. Notice the following:
- There was childproof top on the bottle of medicine and the little girl could not open it.
- When their son started to walk they had to childproof the living room. They put all dangerous things up high.
breakables
Make sure that all breakables are above the level where he can reach.
'Breakables' are objects that break easily or are very fragile, like wine glasses or flower vases. Notice the following:
- Breakables and children are not a good combination.
- When you move to a new apartment, you have to wrap your breakables so they are safe.
it's lighter earlier
He’s waking up a little bit earlier now because it’s lighter earlier.
It's 'lighter earlier' when sun rises or the sky becomes light at an earlier time. In the summer it's lighter earlier than in the winter. Notice the following:
- I always arrive to work on time now because it's lighter earlier and I wake up naturally.
- In the summer she can exercise before work, because it's lighter earlier.
sandpit
He likes going to the sandpit and playing with the other children from the neighborhood.
A 'sandpit' or a 'sandbox' is an area for children that is filled with sand, usually in a park, playground or back yard. Notice the following:
- The children had sand in their hair from playing in the sandpit all day.
- Sammy made a huge sandcastle in the sandpit.
Vocabulary Quiz
lighter • sandpit
