American parents
The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don't come with an instruction manual. And each child is different. So parents sometimes pull their hair out in frustration, not knowing what to do. But in raising children-as in all of life-what we do is influenced by our culture. Naturally then, American parents teach their children basic American values.
養(yǎng)育孩子是件傷腦筋的差事，孩子們并不是生下來就附有說明書的，而每個孩子又都不盡相同，所以有時候父母們真是挫折地扯光了頭發(fā)，還不知該怎幺辦。然而以教養(yǎng)孩子而言，就像生活中所有的事一樣，我們的行為都受文化的影響，因此，美國父母很自然地會教導他們的孩子基本的美國價值觀。
To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children stand on their own two feet. From infancy, each child may get his or her own room. As children grow, they gain more freedom to make their own choices. Teenagers choose their own forms of entertainment, as well as the friends to share them with. When they reach young adulthood, they choose their own careers and marriage partners. Of course, many young adults still seek their parents' advice and approval for the choices they make. But once they “l(fā)eave the nest” at around 18 to 21 years old, they want to be on their own, not “tied to their mother's apron strings.”
對美國人而言，教養(yǎng)的目標在于幫助孩子們自立更生。從嬰幼兒期開始，每一個孩子都可能擁有自己的房間；隨著孩子的成長，他們有更多機會自己作決定；青少年們選擇自己喜歡的娛樂方式，以及跟什幺樣的朋友一起玩；當他們進入了青年期之后，他們選擇自己的事業(yè)和結(jié)婚伴侶。當然，很多的年輕人在作選擇時，還是會尋求父母的忠告和贊同，但是當他們一旦在十八到二十一歲左右「離了巢」之后，就希望能夠獨立，不再是個離不開媽媽的孩子了。
The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents try to treat their children as individuals-not as extensions of themselves. They allow them to fulfill their own dreams. Americans praise and encourage their children to give them the confidence to succeed. When children become adults, their relationship with their parents becomes more like a friendship among equals. But contrary to popular belief, most adult Americans don't make their parents pay for room and board when they come to visit. Even as adults, they respect and honor their parents.
在美國，親子之間的關(guān)系不是那么地嚴肅，美國父母們試著將孩子視為個體，而不是他們自我的延伸，他們允許孩子去實現(xiàn)自己的夢想。美國人會贊美并鼓勵孩子以給予他們成功的信心。當孩子長大成人之后，親子之間的關(guān)系會更像地位平等的朋友，可是與大家一向所以為的恰好相反，當父母來訪時，大部份的美國成年人并不會要求父母付食宿費，因為就算已經(jīng)成年，他們還是很敬重父母的
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