大学英语四六级晨读经典 365
Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing—older parents arc more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balanc·ing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers "end up retiring much later". For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking after·noon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can’t get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. "But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child." She says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband——Randy, had twins." We both wanted children." says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family". Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers arc more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber," and more ready to focus on parenting."
唯美译文:
研究高龄父母的心理学家说:成熟对子抚养孩子来说是 有益处的——高龄父母的思想会更为成熟,会更少地使用体罚,而且会花更多的时间与孩子在一起。然而抚养孩子真的很需要时间和精力。许多高龄父母亲发现自己要努力使有限的经济来源、下降的体力和下滑的健康状况与孩子蓬勃的不断增长的需求之间保持平衡。去世并丢下自己年幼的孩子可能是高龄父母最大的而且常常不对人说的恐惧。一位经济学教授说,晚年得子意味着父母,特别是父亲要更晚一些退休。对子许多人来说,退休成为一个难以企及的梦。
亨利·麦特凯夫是一位54岁的记者,他很清楚养孩子需要钱。但是他也担自己很快就会精疲力竭。诚然,他仍能和他健壮的上5年级的孩子一起骑自行车,但是他已经认识到心态年轻并不等价于年轻。最近,为了保持精力充沛,他己经开始睡午觉了。麦特凯夫说:“我的身体在老化,这是无能为力的事。”
高龄父母常常会听到另外一种生物钟的滴答声。研究中年和年龄更大的父母问題的临床医生说对于衰老的恐惧不应遭人耻笑。一位纽约的心理学家琼·哥斯特说:“他们担心被误认为是爷爷奶奶,或者担心自己从幼儿园的小凳子上起身时会需要帮助。”她还说:“这些小恐惧的核心是一个更大的恐惧,那就是他们怕自己不够长命而无法支助和保护他们的孩子。”
然而,许多晚年得子的父母说孩子来得正是时候。玛里琳·洛龙和她的丈夫兰迪在晚婚并经过数年受孕治疗之后,终于生了一对双胞胎。55岁时才生育的玛里琳说:“我们都想要孩子。”双脃胎给了这对夫妇多年来一直想要的东西,就是一种“家的感觉”。有高龄父亲的孩子常常更聪明、更快乐、更善交际,因为他们的父亲们更多地参与到了他们的生活中。希尔伯博士说:“爸爸们年纪越大,越成熟,会越乐意把精力放在育儿上。”
(编辑:织言)