美語情景對話 第1148期:Naughty Kids 淘氣的孩子

John: So I was wondering about disciplining kids in public. You have kids, right?

約翰：我想知道在公共場所如何管教孩子。你有孩子，對吧？

Sarah: Yeah. I have two kids. I have a three-year old and a one-year old.

薩拉：對，我有兩個孩子。一個三歲，另一個一歲。

John: Are they ever naughty when you're out in public?

約翰：你們在公共場所時，孩子們淘氣嗎？

Sarah: Yes. They are naughty out in public. And I think that you shouldn't discipline your children in front of other people. So if I'm out in public and my three-year old starts to be naughty and she's crying because she wants a toy from the store or something, I will pick her up and I take her somewhere quiet until she's calm. Like I might take her to the family bathroom or a quiet hallway, so she can stop crying and stop making noise.

薩拉：淘氣。他們在公共場所非常淘氣。我認爲不應該當着其他人的面管教自己的孩子。所以，如果在公共場所，我三歲的孩子開始淘氣，因爲她想要從商店裏買玩具而哭鬧，那我會把她帶到安靜的地方，直到她冷靜下來。我可能會把她帶去家庭衛生間或是安靜的大廳，直到她停止哭鬧，不再製造噪音。

John: I see. So you wouldn't just give her the toy she wants.

約翰：我明白了。你不會給她買她想要的玩具。

Sarah: No. I don't think you should do that sort of thing to make your child be quiet, just give them something until they are quiet because then they'll be bad more in the future. If they know they can cry and scream, and mom and dad will give them what they want, they'll just be worse and worse.

薩拉：不會。我認爲不應該用那種方法讓孩子安靜下來，不應該給他們一些東西讓他們安靜下來，因爲這樣的話，孩子以後會越來越難管。如果他們知道他們可以通過哭鬧來讓父母給他們想要的東西，他們會變本加厲。

John: Oh, I see. They'll learn that it's okay. They can get what they want by crying.

約翰：我明白了。他們會認爲那樣做沒問題。他們可以通過哭鬧來得到想要的東西。

Sarah: Yeah.

薩拉：對。

John: But don't you think you'll – won't you lose more time if you have to take your kids to some quiet place to calm down?

約翰：但是你不認爲，如果你把孩子帶去安靜的地方，讓他們冷靜下來，這樣會花費更多時間嗎？

Sarah: Yeah. You lose time but I think it's worth it because I think of the future and the time I'll save by making sure that my child is better behaved in the future. And the other thing too is I'm always trying to think about other people. So I don't want other people to have to listen to my child scream and cry. And I also don't want them to see me talking sternly to her because they'll maybe be annoyed or feel uncomfortable. And maybe my child will scream more because she can feel that. So I try to go somewhere quiet.

薩拉：對。會花費時間，但是我認爲那很值得，因爲我認爲那會節省我以後的時間，我要確保我的孩子以後舉止更得當。而且我一直試圖爲他人考慮。我不希望其他人聽到我孩子的哭鬧聲。別人可能會感到很煩和不舒服，我不希望他們因爲這樣就責罵我的孩子。因爲孩子可以感覺到，她可能會哭鬧得更大聲。所以我要帶她去安靜的地方。

John: Oh, I see.

約翰：我知道了。

Sarah: Sometimes that's impossible though. Sometimes, if you're on the plane or on a train, you can't go anywhere or do anything. You have to stay in your seat.

薩拉：不過有的時候可能做不到。比如在飛機或火車上的時候，你不能帶孩子去其他地方，不能做其他事。你只能待在位子上。

John: What if you're on an airplane, then do you give your child whatever they are crying for as soon as possible?

約翰：那如果你在飛機上的時候，你的孩子哭鬧，那你會馬上把他們想要的東西給他們嗎？

Sarah: Yes, I do. I try to plan ahead and I think, okay, I need to have enough toys. I need to have lots of snacks, lots of fun things so that I prevent them from becoming naughty or crying or screaming. But sometimes, you can't help it. And if you're child or baby starts to be loud at that point, I will. I'll give them candy or food or toy, whatever they want.

薩拉：我會。我儘量提前做好計劃，我要準備足夠的玩具。還要準備大量零食和有趣的東西，這樣就可以防止孩子不聽話或是哭鬧。不過有時真沒有辦法。如果孩子或是嬰兒開始吵鬧，我會把他們想要的東西給他們，無論那是糖果、食物還是玩具。

John: Oh, I get it. So I think you're saying, you think there might be a different reason why kids become naughty. Besides what they want...

約翰：哦，我知道了。我想你的意思是，孩子淘氣有不同的原因。除了他們想要一些東西以外……

Sarah: Yeah.

薩拉：對。

John: For example, they're hungry or bored.

約翰：比如，他們可能餓了或是感到無聊。

Sarah: Yeah. I think a lot of the times, children are naughty because maybe they're tired or they're hungry, or they want to play and stretch their legs but they can't because they're on the plane or they're in a stroller at the shopping mall.

薩拉：對。我認爲，很多時候孩子不聽話是因爲他們很累或是餓了，或者他們想玩一會兒，或是因爲想動一動但是卻不行，因爲在飛機上，或者因爲在購物中心時他們要坐在嬰兒推車裏。

John: So instead of waiting for bad behavior and then doing some discipline like yelling at your kids or grabbing their arms, maybe it's better to prevent bad behavior by making sure the kids sleep enough and don't get bored.

約翰：所以，相比在孩子做出不好的行爲時，用衝他們大喊或是抓他們胳膊方式的管教他們，通過確保孩子睡眠充足、不會感到厭煩來防止不好行爲的出現，可能是更好的方式。

Sarah: Yeah. That's what I'm saying. And, you know, my kids are young. Just three and one. So a one-year old can't really be naughty. They're just a baby. So if they need something, I give them food or what they need. But a three-year old, they can throw a tantrum. And so, they can be very naughty.

薩拉：對。我就是這個意思。你知道，孩子還小。只有三歲和一歲。一個一歲的孩子不會太淘氣。他們還是嬰兒。如果他們有需要，我會給他們食物或是他們想要的東西。但是三歲的孩子會發脾氣，非常不聽話。

John: A tantrum?

約翰：發脾氣？

Sarah: Yeah. When they scream and maybe they fall down on the floor, and they kick their legs. Sometimes they try to hit you. It's really bad. But I think all two-and-three-year-old children sometimes they do them.

薩拉：對，他們會尖叫，跌坐在地板上踢腿。有時他們還會打你。這種行爲非常糟糕。不過我認爲所有兩歲和三歲的孩子都會這樣做。

John: Oh, I've heard of that. It's called the Terrible Two's.

約翰：對，我聽說過。那被稱爲“可怕的兩歲”。

Sarah: Yes. But it also lasts into three.

薩拉：對，而且這種情況會持續到三歲。

John: Well, it sounds like you're a good parent.

約翰：聽起來你是名優秀的家長。

Sarah: Oh, I try.

薩拉：哦，我盡力。

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重點講解：
1. in front of 在…面前(做或說)；當着…的面；
例句：He has been brought up not to swear in front of women.
他從小就被教育不要在女性面前說髒話。
2. calm down (使)平靜下來；(使)鎮定下來；
例句：He just needs to calm down a wee bit.
他只是需要稍微冷靜一下。
3. instead of 代替…；而不是…；
例句：Instead of moving at his usual stately pace, he was almost running.
他沒像平時那樣優雅莊重地走着，而是幾乎跑了起來。
4. throw a tantrum 發脾氣；耍性子；
例句：He immediately threw a tantrum, screaming and stomping up and down like a child.
他立即耍起性子來，像小孩似的跺着腳又叫又跳。