英语时差：说不和长大

Yael: Y'know, I've always wondered what you were like as a kid, Don . . . I bet you were a nice, sweet little boy.

Don: Actually, Yael, just the opposite. At least that's what I'm told. Evidently I could be pretty difficult as a toddler.

Y: Really? But you're such a mild-mannered fellow.

D: Maybe, but around the age of two or so I could be pretty defiant, throwing tantrums when I didn't get my way.

Y: Well, I guess I'm not that surprised . . . after all, it's perfectly normal, healthy even, for little kids to be defiant.

D: Normal, sure, but healthy?

Y: Yes. Child development experts have found that being defiant and doing things like refusing to listen and throwing fits is part of how kids learn to assert themselves and control their environment. It's a normal part of growing up.

D: What about kids who don't throw tantrums and are nice and sweet? Are you suggesting that they're somehow not developing properly?

Y: That sounds kinda far fetched . . . I mean, every kid is defiant at least sometimes. But, sure, some kids are much less defiant than others. And the research shows that those kids develop fine, too.

D: But I assume that either extreme--either a kid who's completely passive, or a kid who's overly defiant--can signal a problem . . .

Y: That's true. But my point is, I guess, that even though it can be exasperating and even maddening when kids are defiant, they're not behaving that way just to be bad. It's like they need to act that way to figure out how to get along in the world. I mean, it's worked for you.

D: Thanks.