Coaxing Parents to Take Better Care of Themselves

如何劝导父母照顾好自己

　　Question:

　　问题：

　　My parents are in their mid-60s and don't eat well or exercise. They are poorly informed about good nutrition and the benefits of moderate exercise, or even what constitutes moderate exercise. Is there a book that gives accurate, commonsense information without the patronizing tone that I would almost inevitably use? I'm trying to be patient, but it's hard to deal with aging parents who aren't taking care of themselves.

　　我的父母已经六十多岁了，他们吃得不健康，缺乏锻炼。他们完全不了解良好营养和适度锻炼的好处，甚至不知道什么是适度锻炼。有没有一本书能够提供正确的常识，也没有居高临下的语气?因为我总是免不了用这种口气说话。我想尽量耐心点，但是年迈的父母总是很难应付，他们根本不会照顾自己。

　　Reader Question

　　读者问题

　　Answer:

　　回答：

　　Dear Reader,

　　亲爱的读者：

　　Your dilemma of wanting to get your parents to change their ways to eat better and exercise reminds me of an old joke: How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.

　　你想让父母改变他们的生活方式，吃得更健康，进行体育锻炼，这种为难的处境让我想到一个老掉牙的笑话：换只灯泡需要几个心理学家?答案是：一个，如果这个灯泡愿意被换的话。

　　Sounds like your parents may be about as motivated as the light bulb right now. Still, there are things you can do to encourage them to move in a healthier direction. But the first step should not be to hand them a book. Unless you lay some prior groundwork, that gesture may seem almost as patronizing as an impatient tone of voice - and probably as likely to backfire.

　　听起来，你的父母现在也许像这只灯泡那样缺乏积极性。但是，你还是有办法来鼓励他们选择更健康的生活方式。不过你要做的第一步，并不是送给他们一本书。除非你事先进行了一些铺垫，不然这种做法也许看起来盛气凌人，就像不耐烦的语气那样——结果可能会适得其反。

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