Listen to Your Mom--聽媽媽的話，別在外遊蕩！

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聽媽媽的話，別在外遊蕩！

【聯合報╱陳弈忻／教（高雄市）】 2011.05.08 03:05 am

晚上近十一點和一位家長通完電話之後，想想現在的家長真是難為。握緊了怕弄疼了孩子，握鬆了又怕孩子就飛走了。

My comments: Such mixed emotions are well depicted in Linda Pastan's poem "To a Daughter Leaving Home," which I would put at the end of the entry. Though it has 24 lines, it contains only one sentence.

這是一個媽媽，她跟我說孩子晚上常常出去。而她若制止的話，孩子就不高興。於是有早睡習慣的她，必須等到孩子平安回家之後，她才敢闔眼。但孩子卻無視媽媽掛心，依舊我行我素，令她不知所措。

My comments: I can't see any reason for the kid to be angry.

為人子女的很容易把父母親的愛當做是天經地義的，而不懂得珍惜。其實很多媽媽都已調整好自己的心態，她們對孩子的態度是關愛而不干涉，包容而不縱容。只不過孩子們能體會到母親的苦心嗎？

My comments: Most people can't put themselves in their parents' shoes until they become parents.

母親節，在外遊蕩的孩子，是不是該自省一下，聽媽媽的話，也許人生就會在這裡轉了彎，我們可以擁有一個不一樣的未來！

My comments: I don't want to be didactic; however, I must say all the troubles begin with inability to examine one's own life.

P.S.

“To a Daughter Leaving Home” 

by Linda Pastan

 When I taught you

at eight to ride

a bicycle, loping along

beside you

as you wobbled away

on two round wheels,

my own mouth rounding

in surprise when you pulled

ahead down the curved

path of the park,

I kept waiting

for the thud

of your crash as I

sprinted to catch up,

while you grew

smaller, more breakable

with distance,

pumping, pumping

for your life, screaming

with laughter,

the hair flapping

behind you like a

handkerchief waving

goodbye.