獨(dú)生子女致父母的一封信

　　I am writing to you to let you know that I FORBID you to ever have a child that isn't me. Under no circumstances will I allow you to reproduce ever again. Everything is currently all about me, and it better stay that way. I do not want to share my toys, my clothes, my bedroom, or the perks of being the only non-working person to benefit from your hard-earned income.

　　With warm regards and all my selfish love.

　　p.s. The only thing I would possibly consider accepting would be an identical twin.

　　獨(dú)生子女的特權(quán)

　　我寫這封信是想讓你們知道我禁止你們?cè)偕粋€(gè)小孩!我要成為你們唯一的孩子。無(wú)論如何，我都不會(huì)同意你們?cè)谏B(yǎng)第二個(gè)孩子。現(xiàn)在任何事都是以我為中心，而且這種現(xiàn)狀最好不要改變。我不想分享我的玩具、衣服、房間，以及你們辛苦掙來(lái)的工資。作為家中唯一一個(gè)不用工作的人，我要獨(dú)自享用這一切特權(quán)。

　　這封信致以誠(chéng)摯的問(wèn)候和我自私的愛。

　　又及：也許我是雙胞胎的話，我還是勉強(qiáng)可以接受的!

　　Okay, but for realzies, I am an only child, and have loved every second of it. I get personally offended when people tell parents it’s “unfair” to only have one child or that being the only kid in a home necessarily means a boring childhood. Granted, I grew up in the most exciting city in the universe (New York), so I didn't an excuse to be "bored", but ultimately, being an only child has truly shaped who I am and I am grateful for it. Here's why...

　　看完了這封有趣的信，我有一些想法要說(shuō)：我是獨(dú)生子女，并且我享受著作為獨(dú)生子女的每一分每一秒。如果有人和我爸媽說(shuō)只有一個(gè)孩子或者作為在家的唯一的孩子意味著乏味的童年，我一定會(huì)覺(jué)得很惱火。我在全世界最嗨的城市紐約長(zhǎng)大，我并不覺(jué)得會(huì)無(wú)聊。而且，因?yàn)槭仟?dú)生子女，我成為了現(xiàn)在的我，并且我對(duì)此心懷感激。原因如下……

　　Only Children Are Totally Cool with Being Alone

　　Having spent a good deal of time by myself in my room as a child, I am used to those moments when there’s no one around and there’s no cell-phone service, because…are we ever really alone anymore? I always found ways to entertain myself from reading to playing my Gameboy to thinking about how I would booby trap my apartment if it ever got burgled, Home Alone 2 style. I spent hours writing, drawing, day-dreaming about Robert Pattinson*—I generated hours of wholesome* entertainment, all inside my head. As a Grown, I’m not afraid to go to the bathroom without my girlfriends (I never understood the need for a chaperone) or even go out for lunch by myself, and I think I’m better for it.

　　獨(dú)生子女不孤單

　　從小到大，大部分時(shí)間我都是一個(gè)人在房間里度過(guò)。我早就習(xí)慣了獨(dú)身一人，甚至手機(jī)用不了也沒(méi)關(guān)系。因?yàn)?，像我這樣的人從不孤獨(dú)。我喜歡自己找樂(lè)子。不論是閱讀還是玩游戲機(jī)，甚至是設(shè)想如果家里被盜該怎么辦，就像小鬼當(dāng)家2里那樣。我花大部分的時(shí)間寫作、畫畫，或是在腦海里幻想著羅伯特帕丁森，并找到無(wú)窮的快樂(lè)。我長(zhǎng)大后，我也不會(huì)害怕一人去衛(wèi)生間(我從來(lái)不懂為什么女性在上廁所需要同伴)，更不害怕一個(gè)人外出就餐，而且我認(rèn)為這樣更好。

　　Only Children Have the Ability to Speak to Adults

　　Of course I did all the normal kid-things like go to school, play in the playground, and take gymnastics class, but most of my time growing up was spent around adults. This has helped me throughout my life.

　　獨(dú)生子女易與成人溝通

　　當(dāng)然，像普通的小孩一樣，我也會(huì)上學(xué)，在操場(chǎng)嬉鬧，上體育課，但是大部分的成長(zhǎng)時(shí)光我都與成年人人相伴。我認(rèn)為這使我終身受益。

　　Only Children Are Not Afraid to Ask for Things They Want

　　Look, I’m not gonna lie, I was definitely spoiled, and I’m very used to getting what I want.

　　It would never occur to me not to ask for a spot in someone’s comedy show, a raise at work, or my friend’s leftover french fries. Because, what do I have to lose by asking?

　　獨(dú)生子女不怕索取

　　看，我又準(zhǔn)備撒謊了。我真是被寵壞了，我已經(jīng)習(xí)慣想要什么就要得到什么。

　　去要一場(chǎng)戲劇的一個(gè)座位，漲工資，或者是我朋友吃剩的薯?xiàng)l是常有的事情。因?yàn)?，去索取了?duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)又有什么損失?

　　Only Children Obviously Don't Have Any Sibling Rivalry

　　I mean I’m sure the love between siblings is something I’ve missed out on and will never understand, but I’ve also seen some intense fights between my friends and their brothers and sisters, *geeze*… that’s some scary stuff, there.

　　獨(dú)生子女沒(méi)有手足之爭(zhēng)

　　我想我確信兄弟姐妹之間的愛是我失去的，也是我永遠(yuǎn)無(wú)法理解的。但是，我曾經(jīng)目睹朋友和他們的兄弟或是姐妹之間的爭(zhēng)吵。天啊，真是嚇人……