Question 1

New Zealand is a small country, so it is difficult to think of a celebrity that is famous for being a mum. I think a great example is Angelina Jolie who is an American actress who has adopted many children from different parts of the world. I think adopting a child must be so difficult.

Question 2

I think not being too judgemental and letting children be themselves is a great strength that must be difficult, especially when your child is doing something wrong but you have to step back and let them do it so they can learn their lesson.

Question 3

My mother's name is Susan and she is retired. She used to work in an office.

Question 4

I would discribe my mother's personality as being strong. She could be a little difficult to get along with sometimes, especially if she was unhappy. She never forgets something bad that has been done to her and will take her revenge when the time is right.

Question 5

When I first broke my ankle when I was 9 years old, she was good at keeping me from freaking out. She helped me while I recovered but not too much. She said I had to still do some things by myself.

Question 6

I have learned to have a thick skin. Both of my parents are thick skinned and do not let many things worry them, especially if those things are not important.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
freaking out	怖がら
thick skin	神経の鈍い
judgemental	判断力のある
revenge	仕返し

Question 1

This is a really difficult question because I don't really pay attention to local celebrities, or celebrities in general. I guess the first person that comes to mind is Sharon Cuneta. I don't really like her but my aunt absolutely loves her. She is a famous actress and was also a singer I think. I don't like her because she seems like a fake nice mom, but I don't really know that much about her.

Question 2

I think the biggest strength a mom needs to have is to be able to accept that they will not always be appreciated. Parents need to do lots of things that may appear unreasonable and upsetting to children because children need to learn discipline. There are lots of things we need to do that we don't like or find boring and may get mad at our parents for making us do these things. They only want what's best of us and we're simply too young to understand. I think I have this strength as well. I've had plenty of friendships and relationships where I'm only helping my friends, family or coworkers and they think I'm just being a downer. In the end though I'm able to help them because of my actions but get no thanks in return, maybe because they don't even notice it.

Question 3

My mom's name is Susan. She is turning 57 on January 23, 2020. She works for an organization that gives scholarships to Filipino students to study in Taiwan.

Question 4

My mom and I don't get along too well but we love each other anyway. People say it's because our personalities are too strong and don't compliment each other. We generally get along if we don't express our personal opinions about things. I have strong opinions about certain things and can be too honest, and my mom can be too sensitive sometimes and think that I'm personally attacking her with my comments. When I moved away, our relationship really improved. We have both learned how to listen to each other and how we should treat each other.

Question 5

Even though my mom and I have conflicting personalities, I don't hesitate coming to her for help and know that she loves me very much. I would come to her any time I have a big problem from my relationships or friends. She would always give me advise or talk things out with me. We'd get into arguments sometimes, but I know she's just trying to help.

Question 6

The most important thing I learned from my mom is paying attention to details and enjoying the finer things in life. My dad and I have more similar personalities and get along better. We are both risk takers and enjoy adventure. But I think I am more careful than my dad and enjoy relaxing as well because of my mom. I think I got the best of their individual values and attitude and have resulted into a balanced mixture of both of their personalities. I am a bit of a perfectionist in whatever I do, which I think I inherited from my mom, but I also enjoy just a touch of chaos so that things will still be fun, which comes from my dad.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

There are too many to name. America has a weird obsession with motherhood. We have a television show called "Teen Mom". These are teenage mothers who raise their children on a reality show television program and it is very popular. I respect all mothers for the simple fact that they birthed a child and raised it to adulthood. That is the most difficult task in the world.

Question 2

Patience, perseverance, love, understanding, humor and the ability to say "NO!" to a screaming child because you know that it's the right thing to do.

Question 3

Rosabelle Forsythe was her maiden name. Rosabelle Kane is her married name. No, she is not. She passed away on February 10th, 1985. It was the day before my eleventh birthday party. She died of colon cancer at 55.

Question 4

She was easy to get along with, but she was tough. She grew up on a farm in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She was very religious. Most Irish from Boston during that time were catholic. She was funny. She had a good sense of humor. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1980. She lived for five years after that. She never complained about the pain of dying from cancer. She was really tough. She had eight children and I am the youngest. She never complained about childbirth either.

Question 5

I was never overwhelmed as a child. I had a mother who was dying of cancer. Most kids were worried about making the soccer team or passing math tests. I was in a different world.

Question 6

HHmmm. Another tough question. She was mostly about being tough. She was the most inspirational person in my American Football career, even after she died. My mother always had a dream for me to play college football at Notre Dame. I didn't quite make it that far, but I did get a scholarship at University to play football.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
patience	忍耐
perseverance	忍耐
love	愛
understanding	理解
humor	ユーモア
obsession	執着