2.Directions:

   A. Title: Parents Are Too Permissive With Their Children Nowadays

   B. Word Limit: about 200 words

   C. Your composition should be based on the Outline given in Chinese below:

   1. 孩子成為家庭的中心，父母日漸失去應有的權威。

   2. 父母對孩子的溺愛和忽視導致青少年犯罪。

   3. 孩子的生活過于安逸對他們日后的成長不利。

   例文：

　　Parents Are Too Permissive With Their Children Nowadays.

　　There are countless articles on child care in magazines and newspapers. With so much unsolicited advice flying about, mum and dad just don‘t know what to do any more. In the end, they do nothing at all. So, from early childhood, the kids are in charge and parents‘ lives are regulated according to the needs of their offspring. When the little dears develop into teenagers, they take complete control. Lax authority over the years makes adolescent rebellion against parents all the more violent. If the young people are going to have a party, for instance, parents are asked to leave the house. Their presence merely spoils the fun. What else can the poor parents do but obey?

　　Children are hardy creatures and most of them survive the harmful influence of extreme permissiveness which is the normal condition in the modern household. But a great many do not. The spread of juvenile delinquency in our own age is largely due to parental laxity. Mother, believing that little Johnny can look after himself, is not at home when he returns from school, so little Johnny roams the streets. The dividing-line between permissiveness and sheer negligence is very fine indeed.

　　The psychologists have much to answer for. They should keep their mouths shut and let parents get on with the job. And if children are knocked about a little bit in the process, it may not really matter too much. At least this will help them to develop vigorous views of their own and give them something positive to react against. Perhaps there‘s some truth in the idea that children who‘ve had a surfeit of happiness in their childhood emerge like stodgy puddings and fail to make a success of life.