All you remember about your child being an infant is the incredible awe you felt about the precious miracle you created.

 

你所记得的，当你的孩子是个婴儿时，你对自己创造出的堪称完美奇迹的作品，感到不可思议的敬畏。

 

You remember having plenty of time to bestow all your wisdom and knowledge.

 

你记得你有大量的时间去传授你所有的智慧和知识。

 

You thought your child would take all of your advice and make fewer mistakes, and be much smarter than you were.

 

你认为你的孩子将会接受你所有的忠告而少犯错误，将会比孩提时代的你聪明许多。

 

You wished for your child to hurry and grow up.

 

你多希望你的孩子快快长大。

 

All you remember about your child being two is never using the restroom alone or getting to watch a movie without talking animals.

 

你所记得的，是孩子两岁时，从不能独自使用卫生间，从不看一部与动物无关的电影。

 

You recall afternoons talking on the phone while crouching in the bedroom closet, and being convinced your child would be the first Ivy League college student to graduate wearing pullovers at the ceremony.

 

你记得那些蜷缩在卧室的壁橱里与朋友通电话的下午，深信你的孩子将是第一个身着套头衫出席毕业典礼的常春藤名牌大学毕业生。

 

You remember worrying about the bag of M＆M’s melting in your pocket and ruining your good dress.

 

你记得你担心那袋M＆M巧克力糖会在你的衣兜里融化，毁了你体面的衣服。

 

You wished for your child to be more independent.

 

你多希望你的孩子更独立些。

 

All you remember about your child being five is the first day of school and finally having the house to yourself.

 

你所记得的，是孩子5岁时，他开学的第一天，你终于独自拥有整个房子了。

 

You remember joining the PTA and being elected president when you left a meeting to use the restroom.

 

你记得参加家长教师联系会，在你离开会议室去洗手间时，你当选为会长。

 

You remember being asked “Is Santa real?” and saying “yes” because he had to be for a little bit longer.

 

你记得孩子问你“圣诞老人是真的吗？”你回答“是的”，因为他还需要你的肯定回答，尽管不久他就能自己判断了。

 

You remember shaking the sofa cushions for loose change, so the tooth fairy could come and take away your child’s first lost tooth.

 

你记得在沙发垫子下一通翻腾要找出些零钱，这样牙齿仙女就会来带走你孩子掉的第一颗牙。

 

You wished for your child to have all permanent teeth.

 

你多希望孩子的牙都换成了恒牙。

 

All you remember about your child being seven is the carpool schedule.

 

你所记得的，是孩子7岁时，合伙用车的时间安排。

 

You learned to apply makeup in two minutes and brush your teeth in the rearview mirror because the only time you had to yourself was when you were stopped at red lights.

 

你学会了在两分钟内化完妆，照着汽车的后视镜刷牙，因为你能给你自己找出的时间就只有汽车停在红灯前的那小段。

 

You considered painting your car yellow and posting a “taxi” sign on the lawn next to the garage door.

 

你想过把你的车子漆成黄色，并在车库门旁的草坪上立一个“出租车”的标志牌。

 

You remember people staring at you, the few times you were out of the car, because you kept flexing your foot and making acceleration noises.

 

你记得有几次你下车后，人们盯着你，因为你不断用脚踩油门加速，制造噪音。

 

You wished for the day your child would learn how to drive.

 

你多希望孩子有一天能学会开车。

 

All you remember about your child being ten is managing the school fund-raisers.

 

你所记得的，是孩子10岁时，怎么组织学校的募捐者。

 

You sold wrapping paper for paint, T-shirts for new furniture, and magazine subscriptions for shade trees in the school playground.

 

你们为重新粉刷学校兜售包装纸，为购置新家具兜售T恤衫，为在学校操场上种植遮阳树劝人订阅各种杂志。

 

You remember storing a hundred cases of candy bars in the garage to sell so the school band could get new uniforms, and how they melted together on an unseasonably warm spring afternoon.

 

你还记得你在车库里存放了上百盒糖果等待出售，得到钱后学校的乐队就可以购置新制服，可是那些糖果竟在一个暖和得过头的春天下午全都融化在一起了。

 

You wished your child would grow out of playing an instrument.

 

你多希望孩子长大，不再演奏什么乐器了。

 

All you remember about your child being twelve is sitting in the stands during baseball practice and hoping your child’s team would strike out fast because you had more important things to do at home.

 

你所记得的，是孩子12岁时，在体育场打棒球练习赛时，你坐在看台上，希望你孩子所在的队很快三击不中出局，因为家里还有更重要的事等你去做。

 

The coach didn’t understand how busy you were.

 

教练不明白你为什么那么忙。

 

You wished the baseball season would be over soon.

 

你多希望棒球赛季能尽快结束。

 

All you remember about your child being fourteen is being asked not to stop the car in front of the school in the morning.

 

你所记得的，孩子14岁时，他不让你早晨把汽车停在校门口。

 

You had to drive two blocks further and unlock the doors without coming to a complete stop.

 

你不得不开过两个街区，车还没停稳就赶紧打开车门。

 

You remember not getting to kiss your child goodbye or talking to him in front of his friends.

 

你记得没能在他的朋友面前跟他吻别或说话。

 

You wished your child would be more mature.

 

你多希望孩子能更成熟些。

 

All you remember about your child being sixteen is loud music and undecipherable lyrics screamed to a rhythmic beat.

 

你所记得的，孩子16岁时，用吵闹的音乐和富有节奏的拍子尖声唱出难以听懂的歌词。

 

You wished for your child to grow up and leave home with the stereo.

 

你多希望孩子快点长大成人，带着音响离开家吧。

 

All you remember about your child being eighteen is the day they were born and having all the time in the world.

 

你所记得的，孩子18岁时，他们出生的那一天，拥有世间所有的时光。

 

And, as you walk through your quiet house, you wonder where they went and you wish your child hadn’t grown up so fast.

 

当你穿过你寂静的房子时，你不知道他们去哪里了——你多希望孩子别这么快就长大了。