Thirty or forty years ago, when most mothers in% Q) x& E* q9 n1 H E6 k! c) b
the United States didn't have jobs, ,homes were busier
( [& g) F7 f( U( s9 w" ] places. Children went to school from 9 A.M to 3 P.M.
% W* _% k4 ~$ U: R7 n$ h; Q% U and spent the most of the time in the house under their__1__4 r [3 O6 c% v6 K
mother's watchful eyes. Children played, watched TV,
3 x \* h6 e! ]4 X1 o- a3 i and did homework, and while they weren't in the house, __2__( }- v$ V4 U7 X) p" i; ?
they were outside in the front or backyard or playing
! f4 x% x% |4 T n9 m8 \4 `. p nearly with other neighborhood children.( s c* W4 e5 H2 q6 q
Though this situation still exists in some communities- o' A% ]& k/ h& G& S. F, D
today, it is becoming rarer and rarer as more and more% v( p* V. G |/ x, P0 V: @
mothers have work inside the home. These "two-income__3__. q/ x4 H/ f) ]# \9 ]* G
families" create a different kind of home—one that is a* B5 W0 ~* Y0 h- B
place to stop temporarily in the midst of a busy schedule __4__
+ g" r( w( d$ l/ S2 Z" |# l of activities. Because working parents often leave the house
) Y* m G X" d2 |: F. b) C by 8 A.M and return at 5 or 6 P.M, children go to school
5 g) J! ?4 r. Z and then a series of highly-programmed after-school activities.__5__/ W8 R% ^$ \) V4 v- T1 |/ |* b: L
So when school lets out for two or three weeks at New Year's
# a' |! ?9 `/ O time, many parents may face with a troubling situation.__6__* |9 a) L @9 |' K+ q8 n s
Some researches show the kind of child-care problem
( L( F+ p; @; S. o. P, r the holidays can have for busy parents. Even in those families __7__
$ L: w" C# P1 p3 j5 F, M% N6 R in which the mother is home, there is often many active __8__
' _( G, C9 q' c0 B neighborhood full of children playing since most of the other8 m2 C |4 [" Z0 K
children are involved in activities. This results from the irony __9__
G5 X @3 J% B- ~" t' T0 e( x of both parents and children anxiously look forward to the end__10__; y& Z0 u. U: j' }
of their vacation. |