美國幼稚園給爸爸媽媽的備忘錄

Don't spoil me; I know quite well that I ought not to have all that I ask for, I'm only testing you...
別溺愛我。我很清楚的知道，不應該得到每一樣我所要求的東西。我只是在試探你。

Don't be afraid to be firm with me; it makes me feel more secure...
別害怕對我保持公正的態度。它反倒讓我有安全感。

Don't make me feel smaller than I am; it only makes me behave stupidly 'big'...
別讓我覺得我比實際的我還要渺小。它只會讓我愚蠢的裝出超出我實際年齡的傻模樣。

Don't let me form bad habits; I have to rely on you to detect them at an early age...
別讓我養成壞習慣。在年幼的此刻，我得依靠你來分辨它。

Don't correct me in front of other people if you can help it; I'll take much more notice if you talk quietly to me in private...
如果能夠，請別在人前糾正我的錯誤。你私下的提醒，會讓我更加的注意自己的行為。

Don't make me feel that my mistakes are sins; it upsets my sense of values...
別讓我覺得我犯的錯誤是一種罪。它會降低我的人生價值觀。

Don't overprotect me from consequences; I need to learn the painful way sometimes...
別過度的保護我，怕我無法接受一些「後果」。有時候，我需要經由痛苦的方式來學習。

Don't be too upset when I say "I hate you"; it isn't you I hate but your power to thwart me...
當我說「我恨你」的時候別太沮喪。我恨的絕不是你，而是那降生在我身上的壓力。

Don't nag; if you do, I shall have to protect myself by ignoring you...
別嘮叨不休，否則有時候我會裝聾作啞。

Don't take too much notice of my small ailments; sometimes they just get me the attention I need...
別太在意我的小病痛。有時候，我只是想得到你的注意。

Don't make rash promises; remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken...
別在倉促或無意中做下允諾。請記住，當你不能信守諾言時，我會是多麼的難過。

Don't forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like; that is why I'm not always accurate...
別忘了我還不能把事情解釋的很清楚，雖然有時候我看起來是有能力的。這也是為什麼我不能事事正確無誤的緣故。

Don't tax my honesty too much; I am easily frightened into telling lies...
別太指望我的誠實，我很容易因為害怕而撒謊。

Don't put me off when I ask questions; if you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere...
當我問問題的時候，別敷衍或拒絕我。否則你會發現我終將停止對你發問，而向它尋求答案。

Don't be inconsistent; that completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you...
請別在管教原則上前後不連貫、不持續。它會使我疑惑，而對你失去了信任。

Don't tell me my fears are silly; they are terribly real to me and you do much to reassure me if you try to understand...
別告訴我說，我的害怕很傻、很可笑。如果你試著去了解，便會發現它對我是多麼的真實。

Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infailable; it gives me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither...
別暗示或讓我感覺到你是完美、無懈可擊的。當我發現你並非如此的時候，對我將是一項多麼大的打擊。

Don't ever think it is beneath you to apologise to me; an honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm to you...
別認為向我道歉是沒有尊嚴的事。一個誠實的道歉，會讓我對你更接近，對你感覺更溫暖。

Don't forget I love experimenting; I can't grow without it so please put up with it...
別忘記我最愛做實驗，幾乎每天生活中都離不開它，請容忍。

Don't forget how quickly I'm growing up; it must be very difficult for you to keep pace with me but please try...
別忘了我很快便會長大。對你來說，要和我一起成長是多麼不易的事，但請嘗試

Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of understanding love; but I don't need to tell you that, do I...?
別忘了沒有那許多的了解和愛，我是不能成長茁壯的，但是，我並不需對你說出這點，對不？

Treat me the way you do your friends, then I will be your friend too...
Remember I learn more from a model than a critic.
有時候，我們身邊的孩子所需要的，不只是衣食無慮的生活環境而已，他需要大人陪伴他去「經歷」它的成長過程。有句話說：「要知道孩子眼中世界是什麼樣子，得先蹲下來，由孩子的位置和高度去看世界。」