有声美文-17｜The Meanest Mother 最无情的母亲
01 | Poverty and Richness 贫穷与富有
02 | Chief Seattle's Thoughts 西雅图宣言
03 | A Pair of Precious Hands 宝贵的双手
05 | Facing the Enemies Within 直面内在的敌人
06 | The Goodness of Life 云淡风轻，感受生命的美好
08 | The Warmth of a Glass of Milk —杯牛奶的温暖
09 | Clear Your Mental Space 清理心灵的空间
10 | What is Your Recovery Rate? 你的恢复速率是多少
13 | The 50-Percent Theory of Life 生活理论半对半
15 | What I have Lived for 我为何而生
The Meanest Mother
最无情的母亲
By Bobbie Pingaro
I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal , eggs or toast . When others had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids' also. But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were on a chain gang . She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, that we be gone one hour or less -not one hour and one minute.
我的母亲坚持要随时对我们的行踪了如指掌。你一定觉得我们是一帮被拴在同一条链子上的囚犯。她必须知道我们的朋友们是谁、我们打算去哪里。她坚持认为如果我们说要出去一小时，就只能在外面待一小时或少于一小时——不能是一小时零一分。
We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath . The other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of insults because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.
我们必须每天都穿干净的衣服，并且每天洗澡。而其他孩子的衣服总是一穿就好几天。最让我们感到丢脸的是，为了省钱，我们的衣服都是她自己做的。
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We couldn't sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept -my mother actually had the nerve to break the Child Labor Law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, learn to cook, all sorts of cruel things. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par . Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.
这么多年来，这样的状况没有得到丝毫改善。我们不能像朋友们一样，躺在床上装病来逃课。我们在学校的成绩必须达标。朋友们的成绩单上总是有各种漂亮的颜色，黑色表示及格，红色表示不及格。而我的母亲在这一点上仍是与众不同，她只满足于那些难看的黑乎乎的分数。
As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out.
时间一年年地过去，母亲的所作所为让我们各个兄弟姐妹感到无地自容。我们全都高中毕业了。由于母亲在身后不停地唠叨、打骂并要求得到尊重，我们中没人享受到辍学的乐趣。
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us have ever been arrested or divorced. Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country.
She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults. Using this as a background, I am now trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the whole world.
她迫使我们成长为虔诚的、有教养的、诚实的成年人。利用这样的人生背景，如今的我正在努力抚养我的三个孩子。当我的孩子们说我很无情时，我的心中充满了自豪。为什么呢？因为现在我每天都会感谢上帝，谢谢他赐予了我一个世界上最无情的母亲。
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