Focus: Parenting Responsibilities, Family Dynamics, and Child Development
Vocabulary Highlights:
Irresponsible 不負責任的
Not showing good judgment or care for your duties.
Exhausting 令人精疲力竭的
Making you feel extremely tired.
Attachment 依戀 / 情感紐帶
A strong feeling of affection and connection toward someone.
Script:
Host: Welcome back to our podcast! Today, Yolanda and I are tackling a topic that hits very close to home for many families across Taiwan. We are talking about parents who work in big cities and leave their young children with grandparents twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Yolanda: Thanks for bringing this up! It is extremely
common here. A lot of young parents move to Taipei or Taichung for work and leave their toddlers with their own parents back in smaller towns. They usually visit only on weekends or holidays.
Host: I understand that economic pressure is real, but to be completely honest, I strongly disagree with this arrangement. I think it is irresponsible for parents to pass their primary duty to aging grandparents. Children need their parents around daily, especially during their early developmental years.
Yolanda: That is a firm stance! But let us look at why parents do this. Rent in big cities is expensive, childcare services are pricey, and long working hours make picking up kids from daycare nearly impossible. Many parents feel they have no other choice if they want to earn enough money for their family's future.
Host: While money matters, physical and emotional presence matters even more. When parents only show up on weekends, they become more like fun aunties or uncles rather than authority figures. The actual daily parenting—setting boundaries, teaching good habits, and comforting them when they cry at night—falls entirely on the grandparents.
Yolanda: You raise a good point about grandparents. They are getting older and should be enjoying their retirement, not managing tantrums or carrying heavy toddlers around all day. It can be physically exhausting for senior citizens.
Host: Exactly! Grandparents often spoil children because they love them and want to keep them happy, but that creates behavioral problems later. When the kids eventually move back to live with their parents for elementary school, conflict erupts because the rules are completely different. The child feels confused and detached from their own father and mother.
Yolanda: That emotional disconnect is real. A child needs daily emotional validation from their mother and father to build a secure attachment. Seeing your parents twice a month makes it hard to build a deep connection.
Host: Parenting is a direct responsibility you accept when you decide to have children. If career demands make it impossible to live with your child, maybe sacrifices need to be made—like finding a job closer to home or downsizing living expenses. Leaving your child for grandparents to raise full-time should never be treated as the normal plan.
Yolanda: It is definitely a hard truth, but one that more families need to carefully consider before choosing convenience over parent-child relationships.
Outro:
That is the end of our story. Good job!
Now, can you answer the three questions? Listen again if you need to.
________________________
Comprehension Questions:
1. Why do many young parents leave their children with grandparents according to Yolanda?
（根據 Yolanda 的說法，為什麼許多年輕父母要把孩子留給祖父母照顧？）
2. What problems happen when grandparents take full care of young children?
（當祖父母全權照顧幼童時，會出現什麼問題？）
3. What does the Host suggest parents should do instead of relying on grandparents 24/7?
（主持人建議父母應該怎麼做，而不是 24 小時依賴祖父母？）
*This is the conclusion of this episode. Please give this podcast a 5-star rating on Apple podcast. Your feedback is appreciated. If you feel this podcast gives you value, please consider donating by clicking the link in the show notes. Your donation will cover hosting cost and support this podcast. Thank you very much and have a great day.*
「本集節目到這裡就結束了。如果你喜歡我們的內容，請在 Apple Podcasts 給我們 5 顆星。如果你覺得這個節目對你有所幫助，歡迎你們的支持和贊助我們。你的支持會用於平台的費用並讓節目變更好。非常感謝你的收聽，祝你有美好的一天！」
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What is 學英文不用背單字 Learn By Listening?
Stop memorizing, start listening! Welcome to Learn By Listening, the English podcast designed specifically for young learners who want to understand English naturally. We believe that children learn best through stories, not word lists.
In each episode, we filled stories with mystery, humor, and fun characters. Whether it’s meeting a "tall ghost" who is actually just Grandpa, or traveling to a sunny day in Nara with a magic kimono, our stories use simple language that students can actually follow.
What makes us different?
Context over Lists: We use vocabulary from the standard curriculum (like family, feelings, and weather) but put them into exciting plots.
Perfect for ESL: Spoken clearly and at a pace that helps non-native speakers gain confidence.
Short & Sweet: Every episode is under 5 minutes—perfect for a morning listen or a bedtime story.
Join us and discover that you don't need to memorize words to speak English—you just need to listen!
-----------------------------------
別再死背單字了，聽故事才是王道！
歡迎來到《學英文不用背單字》，這是一個專為國小及國中 ESL 學習者設計的英文聽力廣播。我們深信：孩子學英文不該靠枯燥的單字表，而是要透過有趣的故事情境。
在每一集短短 5 分鐘的節目中，我們會帶領孩子進入不同的冒險世界。從「長得像鬼的神祕高個子」（其實是爸爸！），到靠著「魔幻和服」變換天氣，我們將課本裡的單字（如家庭成員、心情感受、天氣等）轉化成好玩的情節。
我們的特色：
情境學習： 拒絕死背！在故事中自然理解單字用法。
難易適中： 專為英語初學者設計，語速清晰流暢，建立孩子的聽力自信。
輕鬆無負擔： 每集不到 5 分鐘，隨時隨地都能練習。
跟著我們一起聽故事，你會發現：原來學英文可以這麼簡單、這麼好玩！
Host: Welcome back to our podcast! Today, Yolanda and I are tackling a topic that hits very close to home for many families across Taiwan. We are talking about parents who work in big cities and leave their young children with grandparents twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Yolanda: Thanks for bringing this up! It is extremely
common here. A lot of young parents move to Taipei or Taichung for work and leave their toddlers with their own parents back in smaller towns. They usually visit only on weekends or holidays.
Host: I understand that economic pressure is real, but to be completely honest, I strongly disagree with this arrangement. I think it is irresponsible for parents to pass their primary duty to aging grandparents. Children need their parents around daily, especially during their early developmental years.
Yolanda: That is a firm stance! But let us look at why parents do this. Rent in big cities is expensive, childcare services are pricey, and long working hours make picking up kids from daycare nearly impossible. Many parents feel they have no other choice if they want to earn enough money for their family's future.
Host: While money matters, physical and emotional presence matters even more. When parents only show up on weekends, they become more like fun aunties or uncles rather than authority figures. The actual daily parenting—setting boundaries, teaching good habits, and comforting them when they cry at night—falls entirely on the grandparents.
Yolanda: You raise a good point about grandparents. They are getting older and should be enjoying their retirement, not managing tantrums or carrying heavy toddlers around all day. It can be physically exhausting for senior citizens.
Host: Exactly! Grandparents often spoil children because they love them and want to keep them happy, but that creates behavioral problems later. When the kids eventually move back to live with their parents for elementary school, conflict erupts because the rules are completely different. The child feels confused and detached from their own father and mother.
Yolanda: That emotional disconnect is real. A child needs daily emotional validation from their mother and father to build a secure attachment. Seeing your parents twice a month makes it hard to build a deep connection.
Host: Parenting is a direct responsibility you accept when you decide to have children. If career demands make it impossible to live with your child, maybe sacrifices need to be made—like finding a job closer to home or downsizing living expenses. Leaving your child for grandparents to raise full-time should never be treated as the normal plan.
Yolanda: It is definitely a hard truth, but one that more families need to carefully consider before choosing convenience over parent-child relationships.