兒子女兒離家上大學去了，柔腸寸斷、想兒念女的您，是否常常懷著「七喜」﹝Seven-Up﹞之心？  Your son and daughter are all in college now.  Missing them badly, do you enjoy the Seven “Up”s?

1.            面對現實 (Wake up)：翎毛飽實的孩子意欲展翅飛騰；父母親們，該是放掉手中箏線的時候了。  Wake up:  Your children’s wings are strong and prepared to fly far, far away now. Parents, it is your time to let go of the thread in your hand that is attached to the kite.

2.            放心讓他飛 (Give up)：對成年離家的孩子放下心，努力學習做個「閒」爸爸、「懶」媽媽；把時間精力轉移至需要關愛的其他孩子身上。  Give up:  Your grown up children are on their own now.  Give up your control on them but transfer your care to other still-at-home kids.  Learn to be an “easy”dad or a “lazy” mom”.

3.            退隱支持 (Back up)：培養習慣、建造觀念、價值觀的教養階段均已完成；現在正是功成身退的時候了。  Back up:  The stages for you to nurture children, forming their habits, convictions and values are all over.  Now is the time to stay behind and back them up when they ask of your support.

4.            代禱代求(Pray up)：想他(她)、愛他(她)卻看不見他(她)！怎麼辦？為他(她)禱告、主前代求吧！  Pray up: Miss him (or her) but cannot see him (or her)! What should you do?  Pray for him (or her) at the throne of grace!

5.            關上話匣子 (Shut up)：有機會相聚時，儘量提供孩子有表達想法和心聲的機會；多聆聽、少插嘴。不要把「意見不同」與「忤逆父母」相提並論。倚老賣老、老掉牙的訓話……都是LKK的玩意兒。  Shut up:  When you have chance of reunion, give your adult children opportunities to voice their opinions.  Listen more, interrupt less.  Do not equate “differences of opinions” as “rebellions to parents”.

6.            常常喜樂 (Cheer up)：為自己終於把一個幼兒帶大成「人」，開口感謝讚美主；並且因著自已18年來忠心賣力地演好爸爸、媽媽的角色而大有喜樂。  Cheer up:  Congratulate yourself for having finally brought them up to become adults. Praise God for that.  Be joyful that you have done your best to be the best dad or mom they have.

7.            緊緊倚靠主 (Stay up)：視每次與孩子的分離，都是下一次重逢的起始；靠主剛強、緊緊倚靠主。  Stay up:  See every good-bye with them as the hope of the next reunion.  Stay close with God and depend on Him to be strong.

   陳吳郁娜    譯    translated by:  Violet Chen

「你們要靠主常常喜樂；我再說，你們要喜樂。」(腓4:4)  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

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