Korean Job Discussion Forums

blondieLass · Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Location: Yongin, South Korea

My topic for next week is family. I am going to be going over all the family words (sister/brother etc) and am showing pictures of my family.

How common is divorce? One of my brothers and one of my sisters is technically my half sister and I have one step sister.

I was just going to draw my family tree with my half brother and half sister as my mum and dad's children (which isn't the case) to save confusion.

Would you suggest I just do that or is it common enough I should teach them half and step?

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

If your teaching kids I would avoid the topic unless I had a co-teacher handy to translate. Marriage and Divorce is a common debate topic for advanced students and adults.

Atavistic · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject:

I taught my kids stepdad because I have one. I also have halfaunts and stepuncles and stepgrandparents (I have seven living grandparents due to marriage and remarriage in my family) but I didn't get into that.

Koreans think I don't love my stepdad if I call him that in Korean, but "mom's husband" is even worst. So I just say "George Dad" and "Dad" to keep them different.

Whatever you do, if you teach them these terms, I would add something like "I am very lucky because I have 2 dads/moms." They aren't used to hearing it and it sort of shocks them. But for me at least, it's true.

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

Korea's divorce rate is certainly high enough that it isn't a foreign topic to kids. Last I heard (yes, heard; I have no factual backing) it was around 45%.

Atavistic · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:35 pm Post subject:

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

I'd shy away from divorce as a topic with K kids. Divorce is a serious family discrace here - and as other posters said - it's a topic best for adult students. Even then, some adults are very wary about this topic (family shame etc). Kids, too, can be wary because they may have a friend whose parents are divorced (and they don't want to shame them).

My students said K's never get divorced (just stay really unhappy) - so any man who's divorced is surely a drunken wife-beater. However, he's still gets the kids and house - even if he's a drunk.

Atavistic · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:58 pm Post subject:

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

Alyallen · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 5:54 pm Post subject:

I just teach it to my students as if it's vocabulary. I mean that is what it is, isn't it? Why ignore it because it might be "unpleasant?" I just explained it rhetorically. So I said something to the effect that "If my mom got divorced and married another man, he would be my step father. If he had a daughter, she would be my step-sister and so on...

No biggie...