EY Y01 L27 Birth
This week’s Questions
- When is your birthday? How do you celebrate your birthday these days?
- Where were you born? How old was your mother at the time? What do you know about your birth*?
- To what generation do you belong to**? Do you feel lucky to have been born into that generation? Why?
- What is your birth order (e.g. first son, second child)? How much older and younger are your siblings? Do you feel fortunate about your birth order? Why?
- Do you have kids? If yes, what do you remember about their birth(s)? If not, would you like to have kids? Why?
- Japan has a rapidly falling birth rate and an impending population crisis. Tell me about one thing you have heard about that families, celebrities, local governments, central government, businesses or non-profits have done to encourage more births in Japan.
This week’s Responses
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Teacher’s Compositions
by Kamille Mercado
September 2, 2020 Read Now
Question 1
My birthday is on April 6. I usually celebrate my birthday by going out to eat in a really nice restaurant with my loved ones. I usually have a cake too!Question 2
I was born in the Philippines. I think my mom was only 28 years old. I know I was a cesarean birth and my mom had a difficult pregnancy. I also came out premature but still heavy for a premature baby, haha!Question 3
I belong to the millennial generation. I do feel lucky to have been born as a millennial because we got to experience playing outside but also grew up with technology as it developed. I don't like how the media makes millennials appear like we're always complaining, each generation has its differences.Question 4
I'm the middle child. I don't really feel fortunate about my birth order. I feel like I've always been left alone to figure things out on my own. My older brother doesn't really act like an older brother, he doesn't really help out our parents that much. I was the one that helped out my parents more, but also got into more fights with them. My youngest sister is obviously the favorite and can get away with most things, but she almost never gets in trouble anyway. But, I guess, things turned out better this way. I became really independent and I'm more adventurous than my brother and sister. I'm the only one to have already moved out of our parents' home and I also live abroad! I'm happy about that.Question 5
I don't really want to have kids. I still have so many things I want to do. I understand all the benefits of having children, like how they make life more fulfilling for other people, but that's just not how I feel about it. I don't want the responsibility of another person's life in my hands. I also don't think we should keep bringing in more children into the world when the environment isn't doing so well and resources are becoming more limited.Question 6
When I used to live in Wakayama, the government had a program where they will give a large amount of money to a new couple with a baby. They also offered to look for new housing for the new family and moving them to their new home, free of charge. They also offered to pay for the rent partially for 1 year.Tough Vocabulary
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by Michael Kane
November 5, 2019 Read Now
Question 1
My birthday is February 11th, 1973. I don't celebrate at all. My family usually forgets my birthday. I like it that way, because I don't want to get any older. I'll keep my age a secret.Question 2
I was born at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts. My mother was 45 years old. In 1973 it wasn't common for mothers to have children past 40. My birth was very complicated as I was premature by two months. My mother and I both almost died during my birth. My cousin Mary was maternity nurse in the delivery room at the time. She helped save both of us. My father wasn't there as he was traveling with his Jazz band.Question 3
I am a generation Xer. I'm not sure if I feel lucky to have been born in this generation. I feel lucky just to be alive and living in Japan with my family.Question 4
I'm the youngest of eight children. I do feel lucky to be the youngest. I was taken care of by all of my siblings and spoiled on Christmas holidays. My mother died when I was 12 so I wish that I had more time with her before she died. She was sick with cancer for eight years before she died. So most of my time spent with her was visiting the hospital.Question 5
I have two children Miwa (almost 8(Dec 6th)) and Jun (3 1/2). I remember everything about Miwa's birth. It was an emergency cesarean birth. It was really scary. My wife was in labor for 36 hours before the operation. It was very stressful, but Miwa was a very healthy and beautiful baby. I don't remember much about Jun's birth as I wasn't allowed to be in the operating room in Japan.Question 6
The local governments have increased their per child baby bonuses and reduced healthcare costs a little.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| complicated | 複雑な |
| premature | 時期尚早 |
| siblings | 兄弟 |
| cesarean birth | 帝王切開 |
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by Jon Hay
November 5, 2019 Read Now
Question 1
My birthday is on 11th March - the same day as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. These days I like to go to a restaurant with my family. No more drinking beer with my friends until late at night.Question 2
I am from New Zealand but I was born in England. My mother gave birth to me when she was about 30 or 31 which is a little late for a first child in those days. I know I was a few weeks early but I am not sure of the exact timing.Question 3
I belong to Generation-X. I think my generation has the coolest name. My generation grew up without so much technology but we experienced the introduction of what is common nowadays. I feel lucky to have had a childhood free of i-phones.Question 4
I am the first born son in my family and the first born grandson for my mother's parents.Question 5
Yes, I have a son. He is my first child and is only 8 months old so I remember his birth crystal clear. My wife was in labour for 44 hours.Question 6
I read that a town called Nagicho managed to increase its fertility rate from 1.4 to about 1.9 in 2017 by offering new mums a “gift” of 300,000 yen, as well as subsidies for childcare, housing, health and education.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| crystal clear | はっきり |
| subsidies | 交付金 |
| fertility rate | 出生率 |
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by Jim Usher
October 31, 2019 Read Now
Question 1
I was born on August 2nd, 1979. I celebrated my fortieth birthday this year by wearing a hat shaped like a birthday cake at work all day long. It had candles on it and everything!Question 2
I was born at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. My mother and father were both thirty-one when they were blessed with a son (I mean me). I know that I was born at about one-thirty in the afternoon and that I arrived after my due date. People used to joke that I was always late, starting from my birth. I resent that, as I do not think I have a problem with punctuality at all. I am never late. Nor am I early; I arrive precisely when I mean to.Question 3
I am a Gen Xer. I feel no attachment to my demographic cohort one way or the other. I do feel lucky to be living in the world of today. There is a lot of great stuff around for us to take advantage of, like medicine and technology. I've heard many scientists describe the modern era as "the greatest time to be alive".Question 4
I am the second-born child and the only son of my parents. My sister is six years my senior, meaning every milestone I hit growing up, she had already been there ahead of me. She was a huge influence on my in my formative years. I listened to a lot of the music that she did and I spent quite a bit of time with her and her friends when I was in high school. I'm thankful for those times and experiences.Question 5
My wife and I have a daughter, and she is the light of our lives. I remember I had just started work at English-Please! when she was born. I remember that my wife was admitted to hospital a week ahead of schedule due to complications. I remember not getting a lot of sleep leading up to the date. And I remember holding my daughter soon after she was born and thinking "Things just got real".Question 6
I know that my wife and I receive a subsidy from the government for recently having a child. The amount has grown less and less over time, though I'm pretty sure we are still receiving something even now. I think "bribing" the population to have kids is potentially very dangerous. It encourages young people who are unprepared to become parents to become parents – babies having babies, essentially. I guess time will tell if this was a good idea or not. Either way, I'm still getting paid.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| all day long | 一日中 |
| blessed with a son | 息子に恵まれている |
| punctuality | 時間厳守 |
| demographic cohort | 人口統計コホート |
| one way or the other | いずれかの方法 |
| the world of today | 現代の世界 |
| six years my senior | 私より6歳年上 |
| formative years | 形成期 |
| the light of my life | 私の人生の光 |
| government subsidy | 政府補助金 |
| grown less over time | 時間とともに減少します |
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