I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone; in the other a toy broom¹. I listened as she was speaking to her make believe little friend And I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was pretend².

She said, “Suzie’s in the corner cuz she’s not been very good. She didn’t listen to a word I said or do the things she should.” In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace³ and pink. It was obvious she’d been put there to sit alone and think.

My daughter continued her “conversation”, as I sat down on the floor. She said, “I’m all fed up , I just don't know what to do with her anymore? She whines⁴ whenever I have to work and wants to play games, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do?

She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach... And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don’t have the time to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don’t have the time to sit and play—don’t you know what I mean?”

And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life; As I listened to her innocent⁵ words that cut me like a knife. I hadn’t been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear. I’d been caught up in responsibilities⁶ that increased throughout⁷ the year.

But now my attitude has changed, because, in my heart, I realize... I’ve seen the world in a different light through my little darling’s eyes. So, let the cobweb shave the corners and the dust bunnies rule the floor, I’m not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore.

I’m going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother... For we are granted⁸ only one childhood, and we will never get another.

我停下来，注视着正在她的房间里忙着玩耍的小女儿。她一手拿着一个塑料电话，另一只手拿着一个玩具扫帚。我听到了她跟她假想中的“小朋友”在谈话，而她说的每一个字都让我永远牢记，即使那是假装的。

女儿说：“苏西就在角落里，因为她表现的不好。她连一个字都不肯听我说，也不干她该做的事情。”我看到她的娃娃在角落里，浑身上下都穿着粉红色的衣服，配着蕾丝。很显然，她是被放在那里的，让她独自坐在那儿反思。

当我在地板上坐下来的时候，女儿还在继续她的“谈话”。她说：“我受够了，我不知道还能拿她怎么办？每当我工作时，她就开始哭闹，还想要玩游戏。她从来不让我去干我该干的事情。

她想帮我刷碗，但她的手够不到，毛巾怎么叠也不知道。我没有时间去教她，我还有一大堆的事情要去处理，这么间大房子要去打扫。我没有时间去坐下来陪她玩——你明白我的意思吗？”

那天，我想了很多改变了我的生活的事情。当我听着女儿那些天真的话语时，我心如刀割。我没有给予我最爱的人足够的关注。我只顾着承担那些逐年增长的责任。

不过现在，我的态度发生了转变，因为我从心里意识到……我透过亲爱的小女儿的眼睛，从另一个角度看到了这个世界。所以，就让蜘蛛网呆在墙角，让地板铺满灰尘吧，我再也不为这些琐事操心了。

我要让房间里充满一个孩子和她母亲的回忆……因为我们每个人都只有一个童年，一旦失去就再也找不回了。