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不要以为父母一遍遍讲述的故事太絮叨，太无聊。等你也为人父母时，就会发现原来你也爱上了这样的故事，爱给你的孩子讲这样的故事。这是为什么呢？
When you don’t see someone that often, you both tend to forget what you’ve told each other. My dad has a stockpile1 of sayings, speeches, and stories he tells. When we get together every couple of years, I hear my fair share again and again.
He starts by saying, “You know, when I was working as a salesman I was told to make 16 calls a day...”
“And you made 18, beating the previous record, which was 14. It turned out they didn’t really expect you to achieve 16—it was a stretch2 target,” I sometimes finish for him.
“You’ve heard that one before?” he asks, feigning3 innocence4.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Only once? You mean I haven’t told it yet today? Then it’s still good.” he quips. “Sometimes I tell the same story three or four times a visit. My stories get richer with retelling.”
He’s right. Or maybe it’s a sign of my changing perspective5 and maturity6 that now I listen. The stories are old and shopworn7, yet timeless, and as my life changes, I finally appreciate the relevance and the moral of each one.
Still I enjoy hearing about his youth, even as he fakes irrelevance and jokes, saying, “We didn’t need all-day kindergarten; there were only three presidents to memorize.”
The visions that form in my mind through his storytelling are much more vibrant8 than the guided tours through his hometown he would conduct while my sister and I yawned in the back of the car.
Now my children want to hear about my childhood. My dad’s stories about my youth are stored in their memories and have become part of their personal histories.
They probably find the idea that I was a child once totally unbelievable. Or that I could be so silly. Was Mom really that anxious 5-year-old girl who was once so shaken by an excited puppy that she dropped the last piece of chocolate cake, only to watch it land neatly in the dog’s mouth? Apparently so.
I’ve finally realized that it is now my turn to become the family storyteller.
One hot summer afternoon I took my daughters to the community pool. My 6-year-old was impatient; she ran ahead and jumped in the water. I rushed to catch up with her. I thought about lecturing her on the dangers that a pool poses and scolding her for running ahead. Instead, I chose my dad’s approach.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I was at the town pool with my dad, when I slipped while running and fell in...” I began.
I don’t know if I got the details right, but I had their attention. I figure that after a few hundred more renditions9, my daughters will recite the tale themselves and begin to get the message.
当你不经常遇见某人的时候，你们两人往往都会忘记曾经告诉对方的话语。我爸爸有一个资料库，里面储存着他讲过的格言、演说和故事。每隔几年当我们团聚时，我便能够一次次反复分享这些美丽的故事。
他开始总是说：“你知道，当我成为一名推销员的时候，有人对我说一天要打16个电话……”
“结果你打了18个，打破了原先14个的纪录。后来证明他们并不真正期望你达到16个——这是一个弹性目标，”我有时会替他把故事讲完。
“你已经听过这个故事了？”他故作单纯地问。
“是的，”我回答。
“只听过一次？你是说我今天还没有给你讲过？还算不错。”他自我解嘲地说，“有时我会在交谈中把同一个故事反复讲述三四遍。我的故事内容则因为重复讲述而变得更丰富多彩。”
他的话没错。或许这是我改变观点和现在能够成熟去聆听的一个象征。故事都老掉了牙，然其寓意却是永恒的，随着生活的改变，我最终体会到每个故事的中肯寓意。
我还愿意听他讲述他青年时的故事，即使是当他添枝加叶或开玩笑似地说：“我们不需要全日制的幼儿园；只有三位总统值得纪念。”
通过他的故事讲述，我在脑海中形成的观点更加生气勃勃，这要比我和妹妹打着哈欠坐在汽车后面由他指引着去他的故乡参观强多了。
现在我的孩子都想听我童年的故事。爸爸讲述的我年少时的故事都印在他们的脑海中，并且已经成为他们个人历史中的一部分。
他们或许会发现我孩提时期曾经根本不相信的观念。或者我曾那样傻。妈妈真的是那个忧心忡忡的5岁女孩，她曾经被一只兴高采烈的小狗打动而扔下最后一块巧克力蛋糕，只是为了看到它利落地落入小狗嘴中吗？显然是这样。
我最后意识到现在该轮到我成为家庭故事的讲述者了。
一个炎热的夏日下午，我带着我的女儿们去一个社区游泳池。我六岁的女儿有些不耐烦，她跑在前面跳进水中。我急忙冲过去抓住她。我考虑着要对她说游泳池里存在的危险，并责备她跑在前面。但我选择了爸爸常用的方法。
“我是否曾经告诉过你当和我们俩在城镇游泳池的时候，在奔跑过程中我脚下一滑，然后跌进……”我开始讲起来。
我不知道我是否运用了正确的细节，但我的话引起了她们的注意。我认为在经过几百次表演后，我的女儿们也会背诵这个故事，并开始领会其中的寓意。
贾庆文 摘译自csmonitor
When you don’t see someone that often, you both tend to forget what you’ve told each other. My dad has a stockpile1 of sayings, speeches, and stories he tells. When we get together every couple of years, I hear my fair share again and again.
He starts by saying, “You know, when I was working as a salesman I was told to make 16 calls a day...”
“And you made 18, beating the previous record, which was 14. It turned out they didn’t really expect you to achieve 16—it was a stretch2 target,” I sometimes finish for him.
“You’ve heard that one before?” he asks, feigning3 innocence4.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Only once? You mean I haven’t told it yet today? Then it’s still good.” he quips. “Sometimes I tell the same story three or four times a visit. My stories get richer with retelling.”
He’s right. Or maybe it’s a sign of my changing perspective5 and maturity6 that now I listen. The stories are old and shopworn7, yet timeless, and as my life changes, I finally appreciate the relevance and the moral of each one.
Still I enjoy hearing about his youth, even as he fakes irrelevance and jokes, saying, “We didn’t need all-day kindergarten; there were only three presidents to memorize.”
The visions that form in my mind through his storytelling are much more vibrant8 than the guided tours through his hometown he would conduct while my sister and I yawned in the back of the car.
Now my children want to hear about my childhood. My dad’s stories about my youth are stored in their memories and have become part of their personal histories.
They probably find the idea that I was a child once totally unbelievable. Or that I could be so silly. Was Mom really that anxious 5-year-old girl who was once so shaken by an excited puppy that she dropped the last piece of chocolate cake, only to watch it land neatly in the dog’s mouth? Apparently so.
I’ve finally realized that it is now my turn to become the family storyteller.
One hot summer afternoon I took my daughters to the community pool. My 6-year-old was impatient; she ran ahead and jumped in the water. I rushed to catch up with her. I thought about lecturing her on the dangers that a pool poses and scolding her for running ahead. Instead, I chose my dad’s approach.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I was at the town pool with my dad, when I slipped while running and fell in...” I began.
I don’t know if I got the details right, but I had their attention. I figure that after a few hundred more renditions9, my daughters will recite the tale themselves and begin to get the message.
当你不经常遇见某人的时候，你们两人往往都会忘记曾经告诉对方的话语。我爸爸有一个资料库，里面储存着他讲过的格言、演说和故事。每隔几年当我们团聚时，我便能够一次次反复分享这些美丽的故事。
他开始总是说：“你知道，当我成为一名推销员的时候，有人对我说一天要打16个电话……”
“结果你打了18个，打破了原先14个的纪录。后来证明他们并不真正期望你达到16个——这是一个弹性目标，”我有时会替他把故事讲完。
“你已经听过这个故事了？”他故作单纯地问。
“是的，”我回答。
“只听过一次？你是说我今天还没有给你讲过？还算不错。”他自我解嘲地说，“有时我会在交谈中把同一个故事反复讲述三四遍。我的故事内容则因为重复讲述而变得更丰富多彩。”
他的话没错。或许这是我改变观点和现在能够成熟去聆听的一个象征。故事都老掉了牙，然其寓意却是永恒的，随着生活的改变，我最终体会到每个故事的中肯寓意。
我还愿意听他讲述他青年时的故事，即使是当他添枝加叶或开玩笑似地说：“我们不需要全日制的幼儿园；只有三位总统值得纪念。”
通过他的故事讲述，我在脑海中形成的观点更加生气勃勃，这要比我和妹妹打着哈欠坐在汽车后面由他指引着去他的故乡参观强多了。
现在我的孩子都想听我童年的故事。爸爸讲述的我年少时的故事都印在他们的脑海中，并且已经成为他们个人历史中的一部分。
他们或许会发现我孩提时期曾经根本不相信的观念。或者我曾那样傻。妈妈真的是那个忧心忡忡的5岁女孩，她曾经被一只兴高采烈的小狗打动而扔下最后一块巧克力蛋糕，只是为了看到它利落地落入小狗嘴中吗？显然是这样。
我最后意识到现在该轮到我成为家庭故事的讲述者了。
一个炎热的夏日下午，我带着我的女儿们去一个社区游泳池。我六岁的女儿有些不耐烦，她跑在前面跳进水中。我急忙冲过去抓住她。我考虑着要对她说游泳池里存在的危险，并责备她跑在前面。但我选择了爸爸常用的方法。
“我是否曾经告诉过你当和我们俩在城镇游泳池的时候，在奔跑过程中我脚下一滑，然后跌进……”我开始讲起来。
我不知道我是否运用了正确的细节，但我的话引起了她们的注意。我认为在经过几百次表演后，我的女儿们也会背诵这个故事，并开始领会其中的寓意。
贾庆文 摘译自csmonitor