第3章 Pressure of Contemporary Mother当代妈妈的压力
近些年来，由于面临各种升学压力，很多学生都无奈地继续奔波于各式各样的辅导班。一首题为《妈妈，我压力好大》的小学生诗歌在网上出现后立刻引发很多家长的心酸和共鸣。殊不知，在当今社会，成为一名合格的妈妈也承受着很大的压力，这些压力来自社会也来自家庭。如何使这些年轻的妈妈在家庭和工作之间寻求到一个平衡点，有效地减少她们的压力值得我们思考。
What is pressure of contemporary mother
什么是当代妈妈的压力
Today's parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found.
Mothers have less time to them and feel under greater pressure to juggle work and family life than the previous generation.
As a result, 88 percent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children.
The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did - just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day. And 64 percent said this was because they felt they “had” to go out to work, while nearly a third （29 percent） said they were under constant pressure to be the “perfect mother”, the report found.
Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities.
Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: “With increasing pressure on mothers to work a 'double shift'-to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner-support networks are more important than ever.”
It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialized nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a “primary activity”.
Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time-more than two and a half hours-looking after their offspring, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or child minders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk.
The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them-even if their husband is not in work.
A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child-18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work.
Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children.
当代妈妈压力的来源：
1.现实与希望的落差让人备感压力。
2.努力成为一个“好母亲”的压力。
3.追求“非常有成就感”（sense of achievement）的压力。
4.日常的作息（work and rest）改变都会引发压力。
5.与伴侣关系（companion relationship）的调整带来的压力。
6.身兼数职（hold concurrent posts）的压力。
如何缓解当代妈妈的压力：
1.定期做全面检查（complete inspection）。
2.搭配营养合理的膳食。
3.合理安排生活节奏，劳逸结合（strike a proper balance between work and leisure）。
4.保持乐观情绪（keep optimistic），及时宣泄不良情绪。
Key words & Sentences
关键词句全知道
Juggling a job with looking after kids means the average British mum just gets 26 minutes to herself.
在英国，边工作边带孩子的母亲每天只有26分钟的时间来“照看自己”。
The report reveals the pressures modern-day mums face compared to previous generations dating back to the 1930s.
报告比较了30年代做母亲的压力，反映了当代母亲们所承担的负荷（以上世纪为参照）。
Three out of 10 reckon they have far less “me time” than their own mothers did-barely three hours a week on average.
与母辈相比，三成女性承认自己拥有的“自我时间”少之又少，平均一周只有3小时。
Three in 10 of the 1,000 women who took part in the study confessed to feeling under constant pressure to be “the perfect mother”.
受调查的1000名女性中，三成反映因为无法成为“完美妈妈”而备受压力困扰。
There is increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift”-to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner.
妈妈们需要完成“双重转变”——既是完美妈妈也是有钱妈妈，压力因而日渐上涨。
The contemporary mothers take great pressure.
当代妈妈的压力很大。
Modern women suffer the pressure from both society and family after becoming mother.
现代的女性成为妈妈后要承受来自社会和家庭的双重压力。
Contemporary mother should learn to relieve pressure in daily life.
当代妈妈应当学会缓解生活中的压力。
It will do great harm to health if the pressure is not eliminated in time.
如果不能及时排解压力，会对健康造成很大的损害。
The education issue is one of the most significant pressures for contemporary mothers.
子女的教育问题是当代妈妈的重要压力之一。
The pressure from work deprives the time for mothers to take care of their families.
工作的压力使很多妈妈没有时间照顾家庭。
The pursuit for perfection leads to both emotional and physical exhaustion of young mothers.
追求完美导致很多年轻妈妈身心疲惫。
The fathers should spare no efforts to share responsibility of their wives and relieve their pressure.
爸爸们应当尽力分担妻子的工作，减轻她们的压力。
The pressure from family becomes more severe when they promote to mother.
来自家庭的压力在升级为妈妈后变得更加严重。
Contemporary mothers should leave some time to relax themselves.
当代妈妈应当留一些时间让自己放轻松。
Let's Talk！
开始交流吧！
Lisa: Eva, you look gaunt recently, what's happening?
莉莎：伊娃，最近一段时间你憔悴了很多，发生什么事情了？
Eva: There are great pressures in recent time.
伊娃：最近感觉压力很大。
Lisa: What kind of pressure?
莉莎：什么压力？
Eva: Both from work and family.
伊娃：工作上的压力和家庭的压力都有。
Lisa: Speaking in detail?
莉莎：具体来说说？
Eva: Our company receives a big project and if we can finish it perfectly, it is a chance for me to get promotion. I take this opportunity seriously and wish to do it best, so I feel great pressure. On the other side, Tommy will take the examination and I have to help him to do revision everyday. I feel too tired.
伊娃：公司接了一项大工程，如果能够出色地完成就会有升职的机会。我很看重这次机会，希望能做到最好，所以感觉压力很大。另一方面，汤米快要考试了，我每天都要帮他复习功课。我感觉很累。
Lisa: You always like finishing a job perfectly. Why not letting your husband share some work?
莉莎：你一向都喜欢把事情做到最完美。为什么不让你的先生帮你分担一些呢？
Eva: Do you mean that require him to help Tommy with his study?
伊娃：你是说让他帮助汤米复习功课？
Lisa: Yes.
莉莎：是啊。
Eva: He is also very busy and always works overtime. Besides, he lacks patient.
伊娃：他也很忙，常常要加班，而且他缺乏耐心。
Lisa: Many contemporary women endure pressure from every aspect like you. You should learn to do self-relief.
莉莎：现在很多女性都和你一样承受着各方面的压力，你应该学会自我缓解。
Eva: How to relieve my pressure?
伊娃：如何缓解呢？
Lisa: You should leave some time for you to relax, such as listen to music, chat with friends and do some exercises.
莉莎：每天给自己留出一些时间放松，比如听听音乐，和朋友聊天，做运动。
Eva: I have a lot of work and have no time to do these things, and even forget to have lunch sometimes.
伊娃：我的工作很多，没有时间做这些事情，有时候连饭都顾不上吃。
Lisa: Your living style is unhealthy. A balanced diet is a must everyday. Body health is the precondition of hard work.
莉莎：这种生活方式太不健康了。每天应当搭配合理的膳食。好的身体是努力工作的前提。
Eva: You're right, it is high time for me to change my way of life.
伊娃：你说的很对，我的确应该适当改变生活方式了。
Lisa: In addition, periodical comprehensive check is needed, and you should pay attention to your health condition at any time.
莉莎：另外，还应当定期去做全面的检查，随时关注自己的健康状况。
Eva: Thank you for your suggestion, I got it.
伊娃：谢谢你的建议，我知道了。
Lisa: I hope that my suggestion can help you.
莉莎：希望我的建议能够对你有帮助。