2013年3月24日托福独立写作题目：Do you agree or disagree with the following statement：It is easier for parents to raise children nowadays than 50 years ago. 现在养孩子比50年前容易。重复20110925ML和20101106NA.
Raising children is definitely one of the most challenging things in the world. From the time babies are born, parents have the responsibility to properly feed and educate them. Considering every aspect of raising children, I firmly believe that it is much easier for parents to take care of children nowadays than 50 years ago.
First, compared with parents 50 years ago, parents nowadays have relatively easy access to information about how to raise a child. 50 years ago, books about raising a child are scarce and computers can only be found in government offices and big companies. However, as technology and book industry develop quickly, we can buy books, magazines and scan websites that provide comprehensive, practical and expert child health and parenting information and activities covering children of different ages. For example, my neighbor just gave birth to a baby and she did not know how to do baby massage. I searched on the internet and found tips about performing baby massage. Some articles even well-illustrated and are equipped with videos, which are more vivid and explicit than words. My neighbor quickly learned how to massage her baby.
Second, children are vulnerable to various diseases. In the past, many diseases were incurable and even mild diseases like the vitamine deficiency may cause sufferings. However, in the 21st century many diseases die out because of the advances in modern medicine. Besides, the environment nowadays are hygienic, which means that children are less likely to be attacked by infectious diseases.
Last but not least, with the development of economy, parents nowadays are more likely to raise children with both strong body and strong mind. In the past, children can hardly fill their bellies, let alone go to school to receive education. Now, things have changed completely. The living standard is much higher than that of 50 years ago, which means that parents now can not only supply their children with sufficient and nutritious food to eat, but also have abilities to provide them mental food. For example, my grandparents told me that many babies born in the 1960s were starve to death because of food scarcity. Although parents were working very hard, they still could not earn enough money to buy daily necessities.
From the above analysis, I believe that abundant information, coupled with advanced modern medicine and prosperous economy, make it easier for parents nowadays to bring up children.(400字)