【英语时差8,16】在尊重家人的愿望与说实话之间，进退两难

 Torn between respecting family's wishes and telling the truth

 

Dear Annie:

 

I am 22, engaged, working on a master's degree in child psychology¹ and in a very uncomfortable situation. 

 

Two years ago, my fiancé's sister revealed to her family that "Grandpa Joe" had molested² her as a child. After she told her parents, her mother shared that she, too, had been molested by the same man (her father). 

 

Both women have gone to counseling and are doing well. But they decided³ not to share this information with my fiancé's uncle, who has two daughters. They worry that his wife could potentially harm Grandpa Joe if she found out.

 

All of my education, training and intuition tell me these girls may have already been abused. However, if I say anything to their mother, I might destroy the good relationship I have with the family. 

 

How can I do what's right without causing a rift⁴? － Not Family Yet

 

Dear Not Family:

 

It takes courage to report a family member to the police. Talk to your fiancé and ask him to speak to his mother and sister. Offer to go with him as someone with background in this area. Explain that if the other granddaughters have been abused, they need counseling, and if they have not been abused, they should be warned. Keeping quiet protects only Grandpa.

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 molested   

v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• The bigger children in the neighborhood molested the younger ones. 邻居家的大孩子欺负小孩子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He molested children and was sent to jail. 他猥亵儿童，进了监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。