零起点美语-Thank Your Lucky Stars

Thank Your Lucky Stars

I remember when I was a young boy, life was tough. My parents made me do many things for them. For example, they had me do the laundry, the dishes and the house cleaning. They even got me to work part-time to help with the family expenses. If I was naughty, they would spank me. They would not let me go outside the house for days.
　　Nowadays, life is quite different for kids. Parents can't force them to do anything. On the contrary, it seems as if children can get their parents to do anything for them. Parents and teachers are even afraid to spank children for fear of being sued. It amazes me, therefore, whenever I hear youngsters complain. Instead, they should be thanking their lucky stars.

　　我记得我是个小男孩的时候, 日子过得很苦。我父母叫我帮他们做很多事情。例如, 他们会叫我洗衣服、洗碗盘和打扫家里。他们甚至叫我去打工来贴补家用。我如果调皮捣蛋的话, 他们就会打我屁股, 而且好几天都不让我出门。
　　现在小孩的生活却大不相同。做父母的不能强迫他们做任何事。相反地, 做孩子的似乎有办法叫父母为他们做任何事。父母和老师甚至因怕被控告而不敢打小孩。因此, 每当我听到青少年抱怨时, 我就感到很惊讶。他们应该自庆幸运才是。