精美英文欣赏:孩子"无聊"背后的潜台词(上)

"Mommy, I'm bored." The child's complaint sounds innocent.

妈咪，我很无聊。孩子的抱怨听起来很无辜。

The tone is demanding: "I need something to do."

其实他是在表达自己想要找点事情做。

It's blaming: "You're not doing anything about it."

他在抱怨你没有任何带他干点什么的行动。

And challenging, "Just try one of your useless suggestions."

他还会继续挑战，希望你至少用那些没用的建议敷衍他一下。

What do you do with a kid dying of boredom¹?

当孩子极度无聊的时，你会做点什么呢？

Before we can think about what to do,

在我们要有所行动之前，

we need to look more closely at what children

应该去更加深入的了解下，

might actually mean when they say, "I'm bored."

孩子说他们无聊时所表达的真实意思。

They might be saying, "I haven't been getting enough sleep,"

他们也许在表达自己没睡好觉，

in which case high stimulating² entertainment is not available.

这时候就不应该让他们进行刺激神经的娱乐活动。

A more complex message behind boredom might be:

无聊背后传递的更加复杂的信息可能是:

"I now have time to dwell on anxieties or fears

现在我有时间来处理我那些进行有趣的活动时，

that are usually pushed aside by interesting activities.

暂时遗忘的不安和恐惧。

It may be that children need time to

这也许因为孩子需要时间去

hide themselves in nothingness in order to unlock their imaginations.

放空自己，尽情发挥自己的想象力。

We know that one way kids work out inner problems is through imaginative play.

有种让孩子走出心理问题的方法就是假想游戏。

They actually re-create themselves through fantasy,

他们在假想中重塑自己，

make believe games or artistic³ expression.

假想这些游戏和艺术表达都是真实的。

They can play out emotions that might be too overwhelming,

他们也许会假想自己扮演强大的角色，

e.g. by pretending to be their favorite superhero and fighting their worst fear.

比如假装自己是最喜爱的超级英雄，用这种方法来克服糟糕的恐惧感。

1 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

2 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。