Young Men As Parents

　　Football star Michael Owen announced last week that, at 22, he will soon follow fellow England star, David Beckham, 27, into the labor-ward1.

　　This impression is backed up2 by a few surveys on the mating habits of young British. In fact, British young men are five times more likely than their Italian contemporaries to have settled down by 25 .

　　So what is happening? Has the"Loaded"generation3 gone soft? Celebrity has done a service by casting its limelight on a largely invisible side of fatherhood.

　　When Michael Douglas ( ageing American actor) reveals about the wrinkly end of the paternal experience, Michael Owen is doing for boy dads.

　　Powerful celebrity role models such as Beckham help young fathers feel less of an alien. Beckham, of course , has no problem with the breadwinner bit, but his distinguishing characteristic is his public endorsement of caring fatherhood. For a young dad, this can be liberation.

　　Just 20 percent of teenage fathers remain in touch with the mothers 15 years later. It means that 8, 000 children born to teenage dad this year will not be seeing him by the time they themselves are teenagers.

　　Does this matter to the child? Hugely. According to recent findings by Professor Judy Dunn at the UK's Institute of psychiatry, a close relationship between an estranged father and his child is highly beneficial to a child's development, particularly when the mother became pregnant as a teenager.

　　New research from Bristol University in England suggests that young fatherhood, far from being problematic, can bring young, disadvantaged men out of social exclusion.

　　The state has yet to appreciate the potential of young fathers summed up by Michael Owen's words:"I've had a few exciting moments in my career but nothing that compares to how I felt when Louise told me the news. "

　　The example of Michael Owen's public excitement may bolster some isolated young men. But as long as to many other people and institutions are ambivalent about his role and fail to offer a helping hand, that figure of 8, 000 children in the UK4 losing their young dads by their teenage years is unlikely to fall.

　　练习题：

　　Ⅰ. True or False:

　　1. Young men in UK is less likely to get married before 25 than those in Italy.

　　2. Celebrity’s way of life can affect average person.

　　3. Though father of two children, Beckham never supports caring fatherhood.

　　4. 20% of the children born to a teenage father will not live with their father when these children are in their teenage.

　　5. 80% males who get married in teens will leave their mates in 15 years.

　　Ⅱ. Questions:

　　1. Does Owen think it appropriate to be a young father? Why?

　　2. What will happen if we are reluctant to help young father?

　　答案：

　　Ⅰ. 1. F 2. T 3 . F 4 . F 5. T

　　Ⅱ. 1. Yes, he does. He thinks that fatherhood brings even more excitement than his career.

　　2. More children born to teenage father will lose their father who plays important role in their life .

　　参考译文：

　　少为人父

　　22岁的足球明星迈克尔· 欧文上星期宣布, 继27岁的队友贝克汉姆之后, 他不久也将迎来自己孩子的诞生。

　　一项研究英国年轻人婚恋观的最新调查证实了人们的猜测。事实上, 英国青年在25岁之前成家的可能性是同龄的意大利人的5倍。

　　这是怎么回事呢? 单身贵族们昏了头? 明星的生活将人们的视线引到了通常被忽视的少年父亲的问题上。

　　美国演员迈克尔· 道格拉斯老年得子, 世人皆知,而迈克尔·欧文少为人父, 也给年轻的小伙子们做出了榜样。

　　贝克汉姆等明星们的做法使少为人父不再那么另类。

　　当然, 贝克汉姆不愁养家糊口, 他与众不同之处在于, 他公开支持慈父形象。这对一个年轻的父亲来说, 是一种思想解放。

　　在少年父亲中, 只有20%的人15年后还会与孩子的母亲保持联系。这就意味着今年8000个少年父亲生养的孩子, 当他们长到十几岁时, 父亲已经不和他们在一起生活了。

　　这对小孩有影响吗? 影响很大。英国精神病学学院的朱迪· 顿恩教授最近的调查结果表明, 分居的父亲和孩子保持密切的关系, 对孩子的发展非常有益。特别是对母亲在十几岁时怀孕生下他们的那些孩子来说。

　　布里斯托尔大学的最新研究表明, 年轻人当父亲有益无害, 能够使处在弱势的年轻人走入社会。

　　国家还没意识到年轻父亲的潜能, 用迈克尔· 欧文的话说就是:“ 我的事业中有几次令人激动的时刻, 但都无法和路易丝告诉我她怀孕的那一刻相比。”

　　欧文公开表现出的兴奋可能会激励某些孤立无援的年轻父亲。但是, 只要其他的人和组织对年轻父亲的角色有争议, 没有伸出援助之手的话, 那么, 对英国8000个年轻父亲的孩子来说, 在十几岁时就失去父亲, 这个人数就不会下降。