We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren， I d know better.

    I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.

    My cherished grandson， I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking.

    I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car-and I hope nobody gives you a brand-new car when you are sixteen.

    It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born， and you have a good friend to be with you if you ever have to put your old dog to sleep.

    I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

    I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room， but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he s scared， I hope you ll let him.

    And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along， I hope you take him.

    I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

    If you want a slingshot， I hope your father teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books， and when you learn to use computers， you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.

    I hope you get razzed by friends when you have your first crush on a girl， and that when you talk back to your mother you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

    May you skin your knee climbing a mountain， burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

    I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don t care if you try beer once， but I hope you won't like it. And if a friend offers you a joint or any drugs， I hope you are smart enough to realize that person is not your friend.

    I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.

    I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor s window， and that she hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold of your hand.

    These things I wish for you-tough times and disappointment， hard work and happiness.

    「中文譯文」：

    我們竭盡全力想讓我們的兒女們過得更好，而結(jié)果卻是適得其反。對我的孫輩們，我就明智得多了。

    我真的希望他們能夠了解什么是兄長傳下來的舊衣服，家制的冰淇淋，以及吃剩的肉糕。我真的希望。

    我的寶貝孫子，我希望你在經(jīng)受失敗的考驗(yàn)之后能學(xué)會謙卑，也希望你能學(xué)會誠實(shí)，即使在沒有人注視你的時(shí)候。

    我希望你能學(xué)會自己疊被子，自己刈草坪，自己洗車——我還希望在你滿十六歲時(shí)沒有人送給你一輛嶄新的轎車。

    假如你至少有一次機(jī)會看見小牛犢出生，假如你不得不為你的老狗送終，那時(shí)有一位好朋友在場為你作伴——那樣該有多好��！

    我希望你能為自己的所信仰與人斗得眼青臉腫。

    我希望你能和你弟弟共一間臥室——即使你在臥室中間劃一條分界線也沒關(guān)系。可是，當(dāng)?shù)艿芤驗(yàn)楹ε露�要爬進(jìn)你的被窩時(shí)，我希望你會接納他。

    當(dāng)你要出去看迪斯尼電影，你的小弟弟想做你的小尾巴時(shí)，我希望你能帶上他。

    我希望你能和朋友們一起爬山，而在你所生活的城市里做這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動不會有什么危險(xiǎn)。

    如果你想要一把彈弓，我希望你父親能教你怎樣自己做一把，而不是為你買一把現(xiàn)成的。我還希望你能學(xué)會挖泥巴和讀書；而當(dāng)你學(xué)會使用電腦時(shí)，你也應(yīng)該學(xué)會加減法的心算。

    當(dāng)你第一次戀上一個(gè)女孩時(shí)，我希望你會受到朋友們的嘲弄；而當(dāng)你跟你母親頂嘴時(shí)，希望她叫你嘗一嘗象牙肥皂的滋味。

    但愿你能在爬山時(shí)弄破膝蓋上的皮，或者在爐子上燒傷手，或者讓舌頭粘在結(jié)冰的旗桿上。

    我希望吸煙者對著你的臉上噴吐煙霧時(shí)，你會感到惡心。如果你嘗試喝一次啤酒，我不會在意；但是我希望你不會喜歡上它。如果有一位朋友請你吸一口含大麻的香煙，或者任何毒品，我希望你明智地意識到他不是你的朋友。

    我當(dāng)然希望你能抽時(shí)間來陪你爺爺在門廊上坐一坐，或者陪你叔叔釣釣魚。

    如果你把捧球扔進(jìn)了鄰居的窗戶，我希望你母親懲罰你。如果你能剪掉指甲，用石膏做一只自己的手的模型送給你媽，我希望她會給你擁抱和親吻。

    我希望你能經(jīng)歷：艱難的歲月，挫折和失望；希望你努力工作，幸�？鞓�。