TED演讲:如何培养出成功的小孩(9)

 I have to admit something to you. 我得向你们坦白一些事。

I've got two kids I mentioned, Sawyer and Avery. They're teenagers. 我刚才提到我的两个孩子，Sawyer和Avery，他们都十来岁。

And once upon a time, I think I was treating my Sawyer and Avery like little bonsai¹ trees... 有一次，我觉得我对待我的Sawyer和Avery，就像对待盆栽一样...

that I was going to carefully clip and prune² and shape into some perfect form of a human 我想要小心的把他们修修剪剪，塑造成完美的人，

that might just be perfect enough to warrant them admission to one of the most highly selective colleges.  完美到可以把他们送进最受欢迎的大学。

But I've come to realize, after working with thousands of other people's kids -- 但是，我在工作中接触了几千个别人家的孩子，我才意识到...

and raising two kids of my own, my kids aren't bonsai trees.  我意识到我的两个孩子，他们不是盆栽。

They're wildflowers of an unknown genus and species -- 他们是野花，未知品种的野花...

and it's my job to provide a nourishing environment, to strengthen them through chores 我的工作是提供成长的环境，通过家务和爱，让他们变得强大，

and to love them so they can love others and receive love and the college, the major, the career, that's up to them. 爱他们，他们才会爱别人，接受爱。上大学、选专业、找工作，都由他们自己。

My job is not to make them become what I would have them become,  我的工作不是把他们变成我想要的样子，

but to support them in becoming their glorious selves. Thank you. 而是支持他们做辉煌的自己。谢谢。

1 bonsai   

n.盆栽，盆景

参考例句：

• It's a bonsai tree for your new apartment.这是一颗盆栽，祝贺你迁新居。
• The dish looks like a bonsai flower.这道菜看上去像一盆花。

2 prune   

n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除

参考例句：

• Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗？
• It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。