I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval (认可) he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

    Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate (集中注意力) better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn't even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting angry, but then it hit me: I started noticing his answers were much quicker and right when he stood up. Could he concentrate better while standing up?

    This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I grew up to believe that a quiet child was more likely to succeed. This child would have the ability to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life. Kids that were active and loud would only be losers.

    Now people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA, and all they can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to guide them and help them find their way.

    I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Clearly, he is concentrating, just in his own way and not mine. We need to accept our kids, and their ways of doing things. There is nothing sweeter than seeing our children being themselves. It makes us happy and that's just the way I want my kids to live a happy life.

1   1963年出生与纽约，小时候个子不高，不爱说话。

2  在北卡罗来纳大学开始出名，他把杂技的风格带入篮球运动中，以速度和力量一次又一次地冲篮。因强有力的扣篮而著名，外号"飞人乔丹"。

3大学毕业后，被芝加哥公牛队选中，率领该队六次获得NBA冠军，曾在一场比赛中创下个人得63分的记录。2003年4月退役。

参考词汇：北卡罗来纳大学 University of North Carolina；杂技风格acrobatic style；扣篮slam dunk；外号nickname；芝加哥公牛队the Chicago bulls

My husband，Bob，died in January 2004.His death was unexpected as well.I 1condolences(哀悼)from people I hadn’t heard from in years：letters，cards，flowers，calls，and visits.I took a bad knock with 2.I was so struggling to3 the whys and hows of this terrible thing that had happened to my family，knowing in my heart that there really were no4.It’s just all so sad.

One message5me deeply.I received a letter from my best friend from sixth6 through high school.We had drifted somewhat since7 in 1959，as she stayed in our home town and I did not.8 it was the kind of friendship that could quickly resume even if we 9 touch for five or ten years.

Her husband，Pete，had died perhaps 20 years ago at a young age，10her with deep sorrow and heavy 11：finding a job and raising three young children.She and Pete，12 Bob and I，had shared one of those rare，close，“love－of－your－life－you－can－never－forget”13.

In her letter she 14 an anecdote about my mother who had passed away years ago.She wrote，“When Pete died，your dear mother 15me and said，‘Trudy，I don’t know what to say...so I’ll just say I love you.’”

She closed her letter to me repeating my mother’s words of so long16 ， “Bonnie，I don’t know what to say...so I’ll just say I love you.”

I felt I17 almost hear my mother speaking to me now.What a18message of sympathy！How dear of my friend to cherish it all those years and then 19 it on to me.I love you.20 words.A gift.A legacy(遗赠物)．