1 . When I suggested my 13-year-old try tennis, she quickly refused me. “I’m not sporty; stop trying to get me to do sports,” Julianna said. I had suggested it because some of my happiest recent memories were of playing ping-pong with her. Tennis seemed like a natural progression from ping-pong and a great way to work out some of her growing pains on a larger playing field. But my suggestion was always refused by her.
Still, I was undeterred. I believed that doing some sports would help Julianna manage her emotions. I’ve seen how sports help with stress. It worked for me when I was a teenage girl.
Midway into summer, we stayed at home, and Julianna and I felt really bored. “Do you want to play tennis?” I asked her at lunch one afternoon. Sure, she said. At that time, we were both eager to spend as much time as possible out of the house.
Arriving at the court, we set down our bags, picked up our rackets (球拍), and headed to our sides of the court. The net was like the growing divide between us — I desiring connection and my teenage daughter longing for independence.
I started by hitting a ball over the net, and Julianna took a big swing and missed. We repeated this several more times. I didn’t tell her she was holding the racket too close to the neck or she should step more into her forehand. My daughter wanted the chance to figure these things out for herself. We repeated the pattern of me hitting the ball and her missing it a few times before she finally got it back over the net. “This is fun,” she said with a mixture of surprise and delight and then she smiled widely.
Now we always find time to play tennis. We’re both eager for an activity that can ease tensions between us in daily life. It’s nice to have a place where both of us can release our negative moods and let them go.
1. Why did the author persuade her daughter to play tennis?| A．Tennis was as popular as ping-pong. |
| B．They had a good time playing tennis together. |
| C．It would help her daughter make more like-minded friends. |
| D．It would be good for her daughter’s emotional management. |
| A．Not dishonest. | B．Not sure. | C．Not discouraged. | D．Not surprised. |
| A．She stood close to the net. | B．She repeated hitting the ball. |
| C．She changed ends with her daughter. | D．She instructed her daughter immediately. |
| A．Mom Coaches Teen Daughter in Tennis |
| B．Mom Helps Teen Daughter Express Her Emotions |
| C．Mom Encourages Teen Daughter to Be Independent |
| D．Mom and Teen Daughter Find Some Peace on the Tennis Court |
As we search for belonging, teenagers are looking for their identity. They are making the physical and emotional transition to independence and they are constantly looking for the thing that will define their lives. They are asking
●Teenagers want to belong.
We want acceptance, which is what we so often search for online. We fear missing out. because we never want to be the one who doesn’t fit in. Teenagers also want to be known truly and loved deeply.
●Teenagers can think.
Some people may have the stereotype(成见)that teenagers are strictly shallow thinkers.
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The teen years are a time full of trouble and fear can go into almost every area of life-school work, friendships, church, family members, and, perhaps biggest of all, the future. Life feels very much unknown to teenagers. So even though they may feel confident, or promise you they have everything planned out, they are anxious about life.
●Teenagers want their lives to matter.
| A．“Who am I?” |
| B．Teenagers are afraid. |
| C．They long to belong. |
| D．Teenagers worries about their future. |
| E．Sometimes our parents may also make mistakes. |
| F．And one of their greatest fears is that their lives won’t matter. |
| G．But teenagers can actually think about serious topics like death and philosophy. |
