My parents encouraged me to get a part-time job during my middle and high-school years. They felt that it was a great way to gain real-world experience and to learn how to deal with difficult people! Understanding how to earn money and manage your finances is an important part of growing up, and getting a job teaches you how to stand on your own two feet.
Take a look at the video below to get more information about this common idiom.
Transcript
Stand on your own two feet? Well, you have to! Who else’s feet are you going to stand on?!
Well, to stand on your own two feet means to become independent or to stop depending on others (usually your parents).
Let’s make this clearer, using a few examples:
- Mom, Dad, I’m moving out. I’ve found a nice apartment downtown. It’s time I stood on my own two feet.
- Working at the factory was tough, but it was great for me. That’s where I learned to stand on my own two feet.
- In Italy, it’s common for people to live with their parents into their thirties, but in Ireland, people are expected to stand on their own two feet long before then.
So, there we are. Can you use this phrase in a sentence of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.
Practice
Read the questions below, and try to make some sentences with today’s expression.
- When did you move out of your parent’s house? Was it challenging? Why or why not? What are the benefits of living alone?
- Do you think it is important for young people to have a part-time job? Why or why not?
- Are the young people in your country now more or less independent than young people were in your grandparent’s generation?
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