TED演讲:我从全职奶爸经历中学到的知识(5)

 It turns out putting diapers on your head and play-fighting until the kids fall asleep is a great way to love your kids. 原来把尿布套在头上，跟他们打闹游戏直到他们都睡着，这就是爱你的孩子的最好方式。

So, I was learning a lot, but it's not all fun and boogers, is it? 所以，我学到了很多，但带小孩不止是快乐和鼻涕，不是吗？

I asked a group of stay-at-home parents what's the hardest thing, 我问了一组全职父母什么是最困难的部分，

the thing they underestimated most about being stay-at-home parents, 哪些事情是他们低估了的，

and they said that the loneliness was one of those things. 他们说，孤单可能算其中的一个。

Not having someone else to talk to, feeling inadequate¹, feeling selfish for wanting me-time. And nursery rhymes suck. 没人可以聊天说话，感觉自己不完整，对需要自我时间感到自私。还有儿童音乐听到吐。

Like, really, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is cool the first couple of times, but after all these years on repeat, 真的，比如“玛丽有只小羊羔”开头听几遍还不错的，但是这两年重复的放，

you wonder why Mary just ain't make herself a wool skirt and have lamb chops, you know what I'm saying? 我就纳闷了，玛丽为什么不给自己做一件羊毛衫或者搞点小羊排啥的，你们懂我说的吧？

The one thing I underestimated most was the emotional fatigue². 我最低估的一件事就是情感疲劳。

See, I was an artist, so I'd write songs for other artists. 其实，我以前是个艺术家，我给其它艺人写歌。

Because that's how I made money from home. 这使我在家能赚钱养家。

But when you're with your kids all day, you become emotionally tired. 但是当你和孩子呆一整天，你的情感会觉得很疲劳。

And that means all your creativity comes from your emotions, so you're just tapped out, you're done. 就是你所有的创造力都来自于感情，现在情感的龙头关了，你完了。

So you become done with time. 你觉得被时间所困。

Nap time, time-tables, time-out, time like to cook, with all types of time, you're just done. 瞌睡时间，时间表到时间了，该是去煮饭的时间了，你就是被各种时间所困。

You had no time for anything. And some people are done with their spouse³ as a stay-at-home parent. 最终没有时间做出点什么来。有的人因为全职育儿毁掉了夫妻关系。

Because the spouse just doesn't get it. 因为另一半的不理解。

I was talking to a friend of mine, he said, 我和一个朋友聊天，他说，

"Man, I come home from work, drawers are open, clothes hanging outside the drawers, the kids are still in their pajamas⁴. “哥们，我下班回家，抽屉都开着，衣服摊的到处都是，孩子们还穿着睡衣...

And it can't be that hard to have dinner ready when I get home, right?" 我到家了连晚饭都没有准备，很难吗？”

 

1 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

2 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

3 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

4 pajamas   

n.睡衣裤

参考例句：

• At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时，我脱去衣服，换上睡衣。
• He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。