怪獸家長 (Helicopter parents)

怪獸家長(或直升機家長)最喜歡在子女的頭頂盤旋 (to hover overhead)，一有事就飛到身邊解救他們。有人說這種家教方法(parenting style) 是過度保護孩子 (overprotective)，甚至有點專橫 (overbearing)。為免阻礙子女獨立成長的需要(to undermine their children’s need to feel independent)，父母應該有放手(to lighten up)的時候，否則將來會懊悔不已(to be contrite)。

Adversity (逆境) was once a (1) fixture in the average kid’s life – from the (2) scant chance of getting into college to the nightly struggle to get enough (3) grub at a table full of (4) ravenous brothers and sisters.

1. Fixture: something that always seems to be there. (總會有的事情)

She was a fixture in New York's nightclubs...

她是紐約夜總會的常客。

The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.

無繩電熱水壺現在可能是多數廚房的固定設備。

2. Scant: very little (少之又少)

Companies with scant regard for the safety of future generations

毫不關注未來一代安全的公司

3. Grub: food [informal]

Get yourself some grub.

你自己去盛些吃的。

4. Ravenous: extremely hungry 

The ravenous children ate everything on the table.

餓極了的孩子把桌上所有東西吃掉了。

To have a ravenous appetite

胃口很好

Helicopter parents have become (5) the butt of jokes….

5. The butt of jokes (嘲笑的對象)

He is still the butt of cruel jokes about his humble origins.

他仍然因出身低微而被人無情嘲笑。

So the next time if your kid … (6) flubs a soccer game … tell your kid to (7) buck up and figure out what to do next.

6. Flub: to make a mess of ( 做得不好)

she glanced at her notes and flubbed her lines

她勿勿了看了一眼貓紙，把台詞讀得一團糟。

7. To buck up: to cheer up

The aim was to buck up their spirits in the face of the recession.

其目的是為了給面臨經濟衰退的他們鼓勁兒打氣。

 參考︰

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/what-should-helicopter-parents-really-be-teaching-their-kids-failure/article7969921/