Speaking Topic: Family

Part 1 Questions
1) Could you tell me about your family?
I live in a joint/extended family, which consists of seven members. As I am
married, therefore I stay with my in laws. They include my parents in laws,
brother in law, sister in law, husband, my 1 year old son and my self. My
father in law has his own business since 15 years and my mother in law is a
home maker. Apart from that my brother in law and husband have both
completed mba and assist my father in the family business. They While my
sister in law is studying in the final year of medical college. As far as I am
concerned, I am working in a bank as a Manager since five years. My official
timings are 9 am to 5.30 pm.
2) How big is your family?
I live in a joint/extended family, which consists of seven members. As I am
married, therefore I stay with my in laws. They include my parents in laws,
brother in law, sister in law, husband, my 1 year old son and my self.
3) What kind of work do members of your family do?
My father in law has his own business since 15 years and my mother in law is
a home maker. Apart from that my brother in law and husband have both
completed mba and assist my father in the family business. They work from 8
am to 6 pm daily with the weekend off. While my sister in law is studying in
the final year of medical college. As far as I am concerned, I am working in a
bank as a Manager since five years. . My official timings are 9 am to 5.30 pm.
4) How much time do you manage to spend with family and relatives?
As we all are working therefore we are not at home during the day. We all
return home in the evening and meet up at dinner time where we discuss the
days activities and any topic of interest. After that we watch television
together. On weekends I visit my parents and spend time with them. Due to
our busy schedules we are unable to give ample time to our relatives and
most of them live far away as well. We mostly meet them on special
occasions and other family gatherings. My sister lives in Canada so I
communicate with her through skype, whatsapp and other applications and
the social media.

5) What sort of things do you like to do together?

We as a family like to spend time together. We eat our meals together, watch
television, go to cinemas to watch and picnics. These are the best moments
as we are able to unwind and relax together while enjoying each others
company.
I like to discuss my plans with my father. I often take advice on important
things from him. He discusses his experience, tells me history and often he
teaches me morality and importance of being honest in life. He recommends
me books and then we discuss about these books in our free time.
6) Do you get on well with your family?
Yes, obviously I go well with my family. They are the most precious things I
have in my life. They care for me a lot, they help me on my difficult times and
my whole existence is surrounded with them. Whoever I am and whoever I
become in future would be because of my family members love, care and
affections.
I have a strong bonding and friendly relationship with my family. They share
their thoughts and everyday experiences with me. They always try to support
me no matter what and all those mutual understanding makes us a small,
happy family.
7) Do you prefer to spend time with your family or your friends?
In my opinion I prefer spending time with my family, more than my friends
because for many reasons, family is the most important thing in life. Now that
I am married and living with my husband and in laws, however, it gets
difficult to spend even remotely as much time with my parents as I did before
I moved out. I do my best to visit them as often as possible, especially my on
weekends. As I am working and even have a small son therefore my in laws
support me a lot, especially in looking after him.
I think that all of us need to spend at least a few minutes a day reflecting on
the importance of family. They are people who will love you unconditionally;
always be there to help you through the hard times; stand by your side when
you need them; call you when you are lonely; feed you when you are hungry;

shelter you when you have nowhere to go; and care for you like no one else
in this world can. In conclusion Family is drastically important to the healthy
state of the human mind. A network of support and love, family must be held
above all else as our most prized possessions.
8) Is family important to you?
I think that all of us need to spend at least a few minutes a day reflecting on
the importance of family. They are people who will love you unconditionally;
always be there to help you through the hard times; stand by your side when
you need them; call you when you are lonely; feed you when you are hungry;
shelter you when you have nowhere to go; and care for you like no one else
in this world can. In conclusion Family is drastically important to the healthy
state of the human mind. A network of support and love, family must be held
above all else as our most prized possessions.
9) Can you describe a typical family in your country?
The extended family is the central social structure in Pakistani society. There
are mostly close knit families. They consist of grand parents, parents,
paternal uncles and aunts, cousins and children living in the same
households. These families include, in one household, near relatives in
addition to an immediate family. An example would be an elderly parent who
moves in with his or her children due to old age. This places large demands
on the caregivers, particularly on the female relatives who choose to perform
these duties for their extended family.
10)

Does the whole family discuss family decisions?

With the hectic pace of life today for both parents and children, families
rarely take time to sit down as a group to make deliberate decisions about
how the family will function. As a result, plans are often made quickly and
dictatorially by the parents without sufficient thought and without consulting
other household members.

Holding meetings with the whole family is a great way to include everyone in
the decision-making process. In thinking about such meetings, most people
envision situations involving stress, problems, discipline, and struggles. These
issues can certainly be addressed, but these gatherings can also be used as a
vehicle for families to make decisions about how to spend time together as
well as to prevent problems from occurring.
11)

Do you get along with your brothers and sisters?

We get along pretty well as we are best of friends and very close to one
another. We hardly ever fight. I want to be friends with my sister for the rest
of my life, we do things together as a family, and that helps unite us. We
dont seem to argue much. In some ways were as different as night and day.
Still, my sister is one of a kind. I wouldnt trade her for anything!Without my
siblings, all my fondest memories would vanish into thin air. To those who
have siblings, I would say, Dont take them for granted!
12)

How often do you see your grandparents?

My maternal grandparents passed away a few years back. My paternal

grandfather passed away before I was born and my paternal grandmother
was alive till I was 8 years old. I still fondly remember and cherish the
unforgettable memories with my grandparents.
13)

What can make you happy in the long term?

Materialistic things can hardly determine long term happiness. Infact I

consider long term happiness can be achieved by small actions taken
from time to time. I try to keep myself away from petty issues in life.
Having faith in God, I need his blessings from time to time. Holding no
grudges against anyone, committing to any thing only if I am sure about
it and not expecting anything from any one.
14)

What can make you happy in the short term?

Short term happiness are daily pleasures in my opinion. Still we should

have a good heart and a good attitude to be happy on a daily basis.

Part 2 Questions

1) How important is family?

Family is the single most important influence in a child's life. From their first
moments of life, children depend on parents and family to protect them and
provide for their needs. Parents and family form a child's first relationships. It
is a social unit living together or parents and their children, considered as a
group, whether dwelling together or not. In a broader term, relatives can also
be added to this group. However, it is much more than that. Family is the first
learning place of an individual in this world. Starting from childhood until old
age, he learns everything from his family. He sees his family members
walking and starts trying that. He sees them speaking and he tries to copy
them. Gradually he learns the basic communication among individuals in the
family. He also learns how to love, how to behave, how to come along in life,
all from his family. This develops a sort of affection among all family
members. They are always there to help each other.
2) Do you prefer the idea of extended or nuclear families?
An extended family consists of non-immediate family members
(grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins) who live either nearby or within the
same household as the immediate family members (mother, father,
children). This is the traditional family group. Joint families are better than
nuclear families in my opinion. There is more support in a joint family by
other members of the family in times of crisis. Children learn ti adjust and
cooperate with different people in the family, which will definitely help them
when they grow up as you wont always get your privacy in life. This
decreases the gap between the old and the young. Children learn more about
their culture and heritage in a joint family and thus, are more aware about
their family history.
3) Are friends more important than family?
I want you to think of these two things throughout your life - trust and
support. All relationships in the world are based on trust. Trust as in
keeping secrets to trust that one will stand by you in your needy times.
Once a classmate told me, trust is the basis of love. Friends love you
because they trust you. The case with family is different. Their love is

unconditional. The right person whom you could trust and will support
you during various phases of your life will be different. It could be friends
or family. The choice to decide whom we should be with, is ours.
We enjoy great freedom in talking anything with our friends,but not as
much with our family. So, during your critical moments, decide who'll be
the

best

person

to

go

to.

If you have sensible and good friends, they could assist you in making
this decision.
4) Should children help with the housework?

The benefits of a child doing housework are numerous to parents, who

might feel relieved that someone else is pitching in around the house.
Housework

can

also

have

benefits

for

younger

children.

Independence, confidence and self-esteem can improve because a

child is helping his family, according to the National Center for Infants,
Toddlers and Families. Families might also bond over doing chores
together. A housework schedule can help children adapt to routine
and responsibility.
5) What kind of housework is not appropriate for children to do?