The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.

    An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They're expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation(商议) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat.”

    So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with me.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”

    Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion(反抗) is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over. ”

    Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was one of the greatest artists of all time. He was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Holland. Rembrandt began painting at an early age. At the age of 15, he traveled to Amsterdam to study art. But he soon returned home to paint on his own.

    Rembrandt's first paintings were of subjects from history. He used bright colors and shiny paints. These paintings were popular. Rembrandt became well-known in his community.

    In 1628, Rembrandt began to teach art. He was a respected teacher with many students. In 1632, Rembrandt again moved to Amsterdam. He began painting portraits (肖像) of many well-known people in Amsterdam. He soon became famous in Holland for his beautiful portraits.

    In 1634, he married a wealthy and educated girl named Saskia. She served as a model for many of his paintings. They moved into a large home where Rembrandt hung many of the paintings that he had collected. He enjoyed buying paintings by other artists.

    Rembrandt continued to succeed as an artist. But tragedy (悲剧) began to strike his family. Three of his four children died at a very early age. His wife, Saskia, died in 1642.

    Rembrandt became very sad. He began to paint with darker colors. But somehow, his painting grew even more beautiful. He used dark colors around the figures in his paintings. The figures themselves were painted as if a soft light were shining on them. One of Rembrandt's most famous paintings, The Night Watch, is from this period.

    Rembrandt began to paint more for himself and less for other people. Although his work was excellent, he was not able to make enough money to keep his house.

    Until he died on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt continued to paint. Rembrandt created over 600 paintings, 300 etchings (蚀刻画), and 1,400 drawings. Some of his most fascinating paintings were the portraits that he painted of himself. About 100 self-portraits leave a great record of his lifetime.

    Did you know that badminton is also a fast-paced competitive sport? Badminton has been a Summer Olympic sport since 1992. Para-badminton will be included in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Here's what you need to know if your child is interested in badminton.

    Badminton is played on a 44-foot-long rectangular (矩形的) court that is 17 feet wide for singles and 20 feet wide for doubles. It is divided in the middle by a net placed 5 feet off the ground, like volleyball, not at ground level like tennis.

    In competition, each match is a set of three games played to 21 points. There is a one-minute break when a player or team reaches 11 points, and a two-minute break in between the first and second games and the second and third games.

    Age kids can start: About 6 years old.

    Best for kids who: Have good skills, are patient and hardworking, and can handle the pressure of one-on-one or two-on-two competition.

    Team or individual: Matches can be singles (one-on-one) or doubles (two-on-two).

    Fun fact: Badminton is the only sport that has mixed doubles event in the Olympic Games.

    Costs: Beginners are expected to pay $30 to $40 for an entry-level racket (球拍). Badminton shoes are similar in price to other athletic shoes. Join a club or team for lessons and court time. A one-hour group lesson for beginners should cost $20 to $25, with costs increasing as your child moves up the ranks. You will also pay entry fees for competitions.

    Time commitment required: Beginners will play for just an hour or two per week.

Potential for injury: Players have a very low risk of injury. Players who wear glasses should use eye protection.

    In 1994 I wrote a letter. I stuck it in an envelope, put it away and completely forgot about it. It wasn't until we moved into our new home in 2006 that I found it again. It was addressed to me with explicit instructions not to open until my birthday 2005. It was now 2006 so I decided to open it. This is what it said: Dear Sherri.

    By the time you read this you will be 30. At the age of 18 I had so many hopes and dreams about where you'd be, what you'd be doing and with whom you'd spend your life with.

    Right now I hope that you have traveled and seen everything you've always wanted to, both in Canada and overseas, and maybe even settled down somewhere in Australia doing some research in the field of biology (genetics).I hope you're married to the man of your dreams. The man of mine is Gwynn. He is originally from South Africa (another place I wish to visit).

    However, if things don't go according to plan for you, I wish you all the love, happiness and joy in the world and don't settle for anything less than the best since that is absolutely what you deserve.

    Live long, be happy and live life to it's fullest.

    Love Sherri "18"

    When I read this for the first time since writing it I was floored. Even now having dug this up again another 4 years later I still can't help but think this is really cool. So much of what I wanted for myself has materialized. I did travel to a few more places in Canada although I haven't seen everything I'd like to.

    I did marry the man of my dreams and yes he still is my one and only. I lived in Australia for nearly 4 years, I had a career in Biology in the field of genetics for 10 years. I have two lovely kids I have not one dog but two dogs. Gwynn is a computer programmer.

    I suppose these were things that I really did want. Having never strayed too far from home overseas travel was a huge deal. Having never been away from my family moving to Australia for several years was an huge decision. I find it fascinating how the dreams of a young and naive little girl can become a grown woman's reality.

    How about writing a letter now to yourself in, say, 10 years from now? It's an interesting experiment.

    Many people, some even at a very young age, set the goal of graduating from college. One American woman in Texas waited a long time for her chance to reach that goal.

    The woman, 85-year-old Janet Fein, received her bachelor's degree (学士学位) from the University of Texas in December, 2018.

    Fein has had a full life. She raised five children and then had a career as a secretary (秘书) until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest during a well-earned retirement. She decided to major in sociology (社会学).

    Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. In high school, she just wanted to finish and get a job. After graduating early, at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary.

    After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life, including being a secretary at a Dallas hospital. That is the job she retired from in 2011. She received an associate degree (专科学位) in 1995. But she also wanted to earn a bachelor's degree. Fein took part in a state program that lets people who are 65 and older take free classes at public universities in Texas.

    She kept going to class even as her health condition worsened. During her studies, it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she needed oxygen (氧气) too. She also developed knee problems. So, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements.

    Renee Brown is one of Fein's care-givers. She says Fein has also inspired her. At 53, she plans to begin nursing school to further her career. Brown says Fein told her, "Renee, you can do it. If I can do it you also can do it, and you will feel so good about it. "

Finger painting is an art that most people have experienced in childhood. But there are still people who know little about this art form. Finger painting is a simple activity that involves dipping fingers in paints and then using fingers to create objects and shapes on a piece of paper. All you need is a table at elbow height, a few sheets of plain paper, and a few bottles of watercolor. 

When engaging kids in this activity, one should use non-toxic (无毒的) paints only. If not available in the market readily, non-toxic paints can be made at home easily. Preferably, the paints should also be eatable. Finger paints come in bright colors and can be purchased relatively inexpensively. Adults can save money by making their own finger paints using a mixture of cornstarch, food coloring and water.

It is a common fallacy that finger painting is for children alone, rather it's an activity that can be enjoyed by adults in equal measure. Adults can use rubber gloves while painting to avoid dirty marks of paints on their hands. When a group of people are gathered for an exercise of finger painting, it can be a great way of creating a bond between the group. Art and painting parties are a popular concept in the West. Organizations can also use finger painting as a team-building activity by making participants paint together on a large canvas (画布).

There's no limit to the expression of feelings in finger painting. All one needs to do is go all out and put all their feelings on a piece of paper by dipping their fingers in paints. While painting, one may unconsciously choose colors that reflect their emotions. For example, you may choose the color red to express your anger or green to express hope. At times you may be confused, and the painting will help you describe your confused state of mind. Once you get your emotions on paper, you are likely to feel relieved.

So what are you waiting for? Plan a finger-painting session soon, and experience the joy.