All you remember about your child being seven is the carpool schedule.

You learned to apply makeup in two minutes and brush your teeth in the rearview mirror ,

because the only time you had to yourself was when you were stopped at red lights.

You considered painting your car yellow and posting a "taxi" sign on the lawn next to the garage door.

You remember people staring at you, the few times you were out of the car,

because you kept flexing your foot and making acceleration noises.

You wished for the day your child would learn how to drive.

All you remember about your child being ten is managing the school fund raisers.

You sold wrappin g paper for paint, T shirts for new furniture,

and magazine subscriptions for shade trees in the school playground.

You remember storing a hundred cases of candy bars in the garage to sell so the school band could get new uniforms,

and how they melted together on an unseasonably warm spring afternoon.

You wished your child would grow out of playing an instrument.

孩子7岁时,你所记得的,是合伙用车的时间安排。

你学会了在两分钟内化完妆,照着汽车后视镜刷牙,

因为你能给你自己找出的时间就只有汽车停在红灯前的那小段。

你想过把你的车子漆成黄色,并在车库门旁的草坪上立一个" 出租车"的标志牌。　

你记得有几次你下车后,人们盯着你,　　

因为你不断用脚踩油门加速,制造噪音。

你多希望孩子有一天能学会开车。

孩子10岁时,你所记得的,是怎么组织学校的募捐者。

你们为重新粉刷学校兜售包装纸,为购置新家具兜售体恤衫,

为在学校操场上种植遮阳树劝人订阅各种杂志。

你记得你在车库里存放了上百盒糖果等待出售,得到钱后学校的乐队就可以购置新制服,

可是那些糖果竟在一个暖和得过头的春天的下午全都融化在一起了。

你多希望孩子长大,不再演奏什么乐器了。