贝嫂给四个孩子的一封公开信(双语)
爱思英语编者按:刚刚被Working Mother(职业辣妈)评为2015最具影响力的母亲之一的贝嫂,近日在Time网站上发表公开信,写给她的孩子们,表达自己的感激之情。以下为公开信全文:
Being a mother is simply the greatest achievement of my life. It has taken me on an unexpected journey that can constantly surprise, educate and confuse me! The emotional connection I feel towards my children brings boundless elation and joy as well as the inevitable worry and concern.
做一个母亲是我人生中最大的成就,给了我一段意想不到的旅程,而且持续带给我惊喜、教育我、有时也会让我迷惑。和孩子们的感情联系带给我无限的喜悦,同时也有难以避免的操心和担忧。
They are a wonder to me every day. From a teenage son through to a toddler daughter, each moment of every day is filled with different energies, activities, feelings and a lot of comedy. From playing sport to lounging on the sofa, each of my children fill every second with laughter, music and discussion. They are kind hearted and well-mannered and have incredibly enquiring minds, and I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by these phenomenal human beings.
每一天,他们对我来说都是一个奇迹。从青少年的儿子到蹒跚学步的女儿,每一天的每一个瞬间都充满了不同的能量、活动、感受以及大量的喜剧。无论在哪里,我的每一个孩子的生活都充满了笑声,音乐和讨论。他们心地善良,举止得体,求知欲强。我很庆幸有这样一个家庭。
Being in a position where they live such a privileged life, it is important that our children understand humility, that they appreciate how their parents have worked very hard to create this life for the family and that they, too, have a responsibility to work hard, be respectful and never, ever take anything for granted.
在这样一个优越的成长环境中,我们的孩子懂得谦卑非常重要,让他们学会感恩父母为全家人创造优越生活所付出的努力,并且让他们知道,他们同样有责任去努力奋斗、尊重他人,并且永远不要觉得一切理所当然。
My mother and father always encouraged me and my siblings, to have ambitions, and I hope that I can do the same with my children. I hope that I, together with their father, inspire them to dream big and be the best version of themselves that they can be.
我的父母经常鼓励我和我的兄弟姐妹要有抱负,我也希望我可以这样教导孩子。我希望我和他爸可以鼓励他们勇敢做梦,并做到他们的最好。
Like so many working mothers all over the world, I feel the constant struggle to be the best mother I can, whilst setting a good example to my children to work hard. I travel for work when it’s necessary, and I miss them all the time when I am away. But they hide notes in my suitcase, which I love to find when unpacking, and I always bring photographs of all the family and put them by my bed so they are the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to sleep. I love to hear their voices on the phone and seeing their faces—thank goodness for FaceTime. That sense of feeling connected makes being apart that little bit easier.
跟世界各地的许多职业母亲一样,我感受到了要成为一个最棒的母亲所面临的持续挑战,同时,我要努力工作为我的孩子树立一个好的榜样。有时候我不得不出差,当我不在他们身边的时候,我一直在想念他们。但是他们会在我的行李里藏小纸条,我喜欢在开箱的时候去寻找,我一直喜欢出差时带着全家人的照片,把照片放在床头,这样我醒来的第一眼和我睡前的最后一眼看到的都会是我的家人。我喜欢听到他们的声音看到他们的面孔,幸亏有FaceTime。那种联结的感觉让分离的痛苦少一些。
I have always been a great believer that women should support women, and my admiration goes out to mothers everywhere, as they constantly put their own needs behind those of their children, embracing daily uncertainties and entering the new uncharted territories that each day brings, to be, in return, rewarded with joy and unending love.
一直以来,我都坚信女性之间应该相互扶持,我很钦佩世界各地的母亲们,因为他们总是把自己的需求置于孩子的需求之后,每天都会遇到各种意想不到的事情,进入到各种未知的领域,同时,他们也收获了快乐和无尽的爱。