Is there such a thing as being ＂over-protective＂?

I can honestly say that my answer to that question 【小题1】 (change) dramatically(戏剧性地)since I became a parent.

Before the birth of my daughter, I taught at 【小题2】 private school, often viewing my students as over-protected, worrying 【小题3】 would happen when they went on to middle schools.

Some did fine, and some did not. Some needed constant pats on the back, words of 【小题4】 (encourage) and extra support, which I 【小题5】 (happy) gave. Others were content on their own, needing little or no interaction(互动)with their teacher. 【小题6】 for the most part, graduates would go on for higher schooling.

I’d always supposed their parents were over-protective, for they were the ones that still walked their 【小题7】 (five) graders into the classroom and met them at the school gate.

Admittedly, I laughed at those parents, 【小题8】 (think) their children would never learn to be 【小题9】 (independence) if they didn’t let go just a little. Then I had my own daughter. The moment I looked at her little face, I 【小题10】 (know) I’d do everything in my power to protect her and make sure she always felt safe!

It's not uncommon for teenagers to get into heated【小题1】(argue) and cold silences with their parents. There are several reasons【小题2】this situation. For one thing, teenagers' physical changes are likely to give rise to family tensions. For another,【小题3】(enter) a strange middle ground, you may find 【小题4】tough to keep your developing mental needs【小题5】(balance).

【小题6】, you can take action to improve the situation. Most【小题7】(importance), you can create regular and honest communication with your parents..

It's better for you and to parents【小题8】(work) together to improve your relationship. Everything will turn out all right in the end,【小题9】the struggles you have been going through【小题10】(prepare) you for adulthood.

A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine 【小题1】 in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.

It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure 【小题2】 I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.

So this is probably the generation gap 【小题3】 (divide) friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they 【小题4】 (get) their education, chosen a career and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.

My friends and I--“Generation Y”--still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. 【小题5】 we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another 【小题6】 we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.

This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children, we 【小题7】 (encourage) to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cell phones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.

Our parents looked to rise vertically--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply 【小题8】 my generation.

Because of that, it 【小题9】 take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire 【小题10】 (find) satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parent’s generation did.