"Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him,and let him know that you trust him." These words are from the black American educator,Booker Washington. He was saying that,"If you want people to grow up,you have to stop treating them like children." In America,families are close but children are encouraged to be independent,to make their own decisions,even at a very early age. It's not unusual for a child of seven to be given an allowance every week. The child is encouraged to save some of the money but he or she can spend it on whatever they choose,for example,buying clothes,school supplies or CDs. Some teenagers even have their own credit cards! That's a big responsibility since even adults are tempted to overspend when they have credit cards. From an early age,American children are asked for their opinions and they are included in family decision making. At the dinner table,teenagers will be listened to on any topic,from politics to buying a new family car or where the family will go on vacation. In this way, teenagers are getting practice in becoming individuals:they are learning how to stand on their own two feet. Many Chinese young people are becoming almost as interested as American teens in searching for independence. They want to express those qualities that make them unique human beings. You can see this in the way they dress, the music they listen to and the friends they choose. "Super Girl" Li Yuchun caught the imagination of Chinese teenagers on the "Super Girl" television contest. She was not the traditional "nice,young Chinese girl". With her short,spiky hair and boy-like clothes, she was telling everyone that she was different. She had the courage to be her own person and to stand on her own two feet...and she won! There is an old saying,"Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him and then choose that way with all his strength." If you do this, step by step, over a period of time, you may find that you have become the person you always wanted to be. A child of seven is given an allowance so that he can  _  .
be accepted as a popular guy learn to decide how to use money overspend money without care have school supplies of his own