Soccer Moms
Todd talks with Julia about the concept of Soccer Moms and Nascar Dads.
Todd: So, Julia, now you are a parent.
Julia: That's right.
Todd: And have you heard of all these terms that we have in the US for different types of parents? I wonder if you have them in the UK?
Julia: You mean like soccer mum, stuff like that?
Todd: Exactly.
Julia: That's the only one I've heard of actually.
Todd: OK. So what do you think a soccer mom is? What have you heard?
Julia: My image is a mother who dedicates her time to running her kids to and from soccer practice. Is that right?
Todd: Right.
Julia: And also drives a big vehicle? My image is of a big SUV or a big four wheel drive.
Todd: Right. I think it's also, it's like a parent that has many scheduled events for their child.
Julia: Oh, OK.
Todd: So maybe they have swimming class or soccer practice, ballet and stuff like that.
Julia: Oh, maybe I'm a little bit of a soccer mum.
Todd: Yeah, I think now, yeah. I think it's actually a good term. It's like, I think a soccer mom usually is considered a caring parent.
Julia: OK.
Todd: And they try to have their child doing productive things.
Julia: It must be pretty, quite an affluent perhaps middle class kind of parent.
Todd: Yeah, exactly, exactly. Now we have the equivalent, it's called a Nascar dad.
Julia: Is Nascar some kind of car racing?
Todd: Yeah, basically it's just the, these cars they run around and ride around in a circle. It's kind of like horse racing for cars, you just go round and round. But, yeah, so I guess it's the same thing. It's just a dad who's really, you know, really into his kids, spends a lot of time with his kids.
Julia: Would this be a stay at home dad, like a...?
Todd: No, no. It's just kind of like a good old boy father, like a dad who's kind of blue collar, not rich, you know, maybe lower middle class maybe but just kind of like your typical sitcom, TV sitcom dad I guess.
Julia: But that's nice. Takes his kids everywhere, that's nice.
Todd: Yeah, yeah.
Julia: Involved in the...
Todd: Yeah, like a Nascar dad would probably take his sons hunting and maybe take his daughter shopping and stuff like that.
productive
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-1-productive.jpg)
Soccer moms try to have their children doing productive
things.
Here, 'productive' activities refer to things that children can do that teach them and help with development. Notice the following:
- You need to try to be more productive during your time
at work.
- I had a very productive day today.
affluent
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-2-affluent.jpg)
A soccer mom is an affluent, middle class type of person.
In this case, 'affluent' means a person who has a lot of money. Notice the following:
- He grew up in a very affluent family.
- This is a very affluent area, so we don't have to worry much about crime.
equivalent
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-3-equivalent.jpg)
Now we have the equivalent to a soccer mom, which is a
NASCAR dad.
When one thing is 'equivalent' to another, they are basically equal. Notice the following:
- We are looking for someone to do about 300 hours of
work, which is equivalent to almost 2 months of full-time
work.
- 13 Mexican pesos is equivalent to 1 U.S. dollar.
good-old-boy
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-4-good-old-boy.jpg)
He's like a good-old-boy father.
The phrase 'good-old-boy' is used to refer to a man who is humble and generally well thought of in his area. Notice the following:
- My grandfather is kind of a good-old-boy around here.
- He's a good-old-boy father who teaches his kids to fish and play baseball.
blue-collar
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-5-blue-collar.jpg)
A NASCAR dad is blue-collar.
A 'blue-collar' worker is someone who works in a factory job or one that requires a lot of physical labor and not much formal education. Notice the following:
- Most of his family works in blue-collar jobs.
- Almost all of the available jobs in this area are blue-collar.
TV sitcom dad
![image](../../Assets/notes/N1201/1223-6-tv-sitcom-dad.jpg)
He's kind of like your typical TV sitcom dad, I guess.
A 'sitcom' is a type of television show that uses real life situations to create comedy. A 'TV sitcom dad' would act or look the same as a stereotypical dad on television. Notice the following:
- Some of the TV sitcom dads are really dumb.
- Her dad is basically like a TV sitcom dad.
Vocabulary Quiz
good-old-boys • blue-collar • sitcom
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About the Teacher / Creator
Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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