无论您为子女制定了怎样的计划、抱有怎样的期望，在西方抚养孩子所面临的现实，可能会让您比想象中更加忧心。从婴儿时期直到成年，除了确保孩子吃饱穿暖、得到照顾之外，您还要应对许多其他问题。生活在西方，尤其是涉及孩子的时候，您将面对种种可怕的情况。

Regardless of the plans and ambitions you have for your children, the reality of growing up in the West will give you more to worry about than you might care to imagine. From the time of infancy right up until adulthood, you have a lot more problems to deal with beyond just making sure your child is well fed and looked after. There are a multitude of horrors that you will be faced by living in the West, especially where your children are concerned.

年幼时，许多儿童都会遭遇虐待、拐骗和忽视等问题。家庭结构的日益瓦解加剧了这些问题，并为日后人生中的种种其他问题埋下了伏笔。在青少年和青年时期，又有一系列新的危险潜伏在前方，例如未成年怀孕与堕胎、单亲家庭、毒品、约会强奸以及同性恋。虽然并非所有青年都会卷入这些行为或受其影响，但他们在人生的某个阶段几乎必然会接触到这些事情。无论如何，这些问题在我们的环境中是如此普遍，以至于不能被忽视，也不能归咎于少数个人。

When young, many children are subject to the likes of child abuse, abduction and neglect. The increasing breakdown in family structure has exacerbated these problems, and paved the way for a host of others in later life. In their youth and young adulthood, a new set of dangers lurk ahead, such as the risk of underage pregnancy and abortion, single parent families, drugs, date-rape and homosexuality. While all the youth are not involved in or subject to such activities, they most certainly will come across them at some stage in their lives. In any event these problems are so prevalent in our environment, that they cannot be ignored or blamed on a few individuals.

我们对这类担忧很理解。您觉得您的孩子不会受到影响有把握吗？如果他或她变成了不良少年呢？甚至更糟，成了同性恋者呢？

Given these kinds of worries, are you confident that your child won’t be influenced? What if he or she turns out to be a delinquent? Or worse still, a homosexual?