開放二孩會給孩子帶來什麼變化
Yi Xiaojing, 21, a junior at Lingnan Normal University in Guangdong, has a big family– her two parents, plus a younger brother and two younger sisters.
21歲的易曉靜是廣東嶺南師範學院大三的學生。她生長在一個大家庭，家裏有雙親，一個弟弟和兩個妹妹。
Yi took her role as the “big sister” seriously. When her first sister was born, Yi took turns with her mom holding the baby late into the night. She changed diapers and mixed baby formulas. “I practically did everything that was supposed to be a parent’s job,” she said.
曉靜很小的時候就承擔起了“大姐姐”的責任。當她第一個妹妹出生時，她和母親每晚輪流照看寶寶。她給妹妹換尿布，準備嬰兒食物。“我乾的很多活實際上都是父母的工作，”她說。
Not all of Yi’s peers shared her experiences due to the family planning policy, a law that was enacted in China about four decades ago. But the situation is about to change. A communiqué issued on Oct 29 after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee said all couples can now have two children.
因爲大約40年前開始實施的計劃生育政策，並不是所有的同齡人都有曉靜這樣的體驗。10月29日，中國共產黨第十八屆五中全會公報宣佈全面實施一對夫妻可生育兩個孩子的政策。
The new policy is expected to help reverse China’s negative demographic trends. Up until recently, China was projected to face an aging population and labor shortages due to the current low birth rate.
中央希望新政策能扭轉我國人口增長疲軟的現狀。直到近期，因較低的人口出生率，我國面臨着老齡化和勞動力不足的問題。
The two-child policy may also yield benefits for individual citizens. Researches found that growing up with a brother or sister can have a positive impact on one’s mental health.
二孩政策對國民個人來說也是個好消息。有調查發現，和兄弟姐妹一起長大更有利於孩子的心理健康。
Emotional well-being
情感滿足
“Siblings do matter in unique ways. They give kids something that parents don’t,” Laura Padilla-Walker, a Brigham Young professor, told Medical News Today. She noted that having a sibling protects adolescents against negative feelings such as loneliness, guilt, fear and self-consciousness.
楊百翰大學教授勞拉帕迪利亞-沃克告訴《每日醫學新聞》：“兄弟姐妹對人有特殊的影響。他們能給孩子父母無法給予的東西。”她還指出，兄弟姐妹能幫助青少年遠離孤獨、內疚、恐懼、害羞等負面情緒。
Liu Xiaofeng, 20, from Guangdong Peizheng College, has a younger sister. When her sister disagreed with parents over choosing a college major, she helped her to communicate with parents. “If it ever comes to the point of picking sides, I would always have her back,” said Liu. “The best part of having a sibling is that you have a companion, confidant and supporter throughout your life.”
20歲的劉曉鳳就讀於廣東培正學院，她有一個妹妹。當妹妹因選擇大學專業和父母產生爭執的時候，她幫助妹妹和父母溝通。“如果到了一定要表明立場的時候，我會站在她那邊，”她說。“有妹妹最大的好處就是你會擁有一輩子的夥伴、知己和支持者。”
But children with siblings also have to learn to compromise and to rein in their emotions, said Padilla-Walker.
不過帕迪利亞-沃克認爲非獨生子女必須學會妥協和控制情緒。
Zhang Yuxuan, 21, a junior at Xi’an International Studies University, grew up with her younger brother in a village in Shaanxi while her parents worked in Xi’an. When her parents could afford one child in the city, they picked her brother. She stayed in the countryside for another five years.
21歲的張雨軒是西安外國語大學大三的學生。她和弟弟在陝西農村長大，而她的父母在西安打工。當父母只有能力接一個孩子去城裏同住時，他們選擇了她的弟弟。而她在農村又住了5年。
“Situations like that are inevitable because the resources are limited,” she said. “I have no resentment or hard feelings.”
“這種情況也是無可奈何，因爲資源太有限，”她說。“我一點也不埋怨他們。”
