老人們經常懷念過去的好時光，是什么讓那些good old times這么有吸引力呢？今天兒童節，我們來看看2000名60多歲的英國老人評出的“50年前的孩子比今天的孩子更幸福的50件事”。

鏡報網站截圖

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be but there are still plenty of things about childhood that many of us hold dear.

懷舊不似從前，但是童年的很多事依然被我們視作珍寶。

If you are in your 60s, chances are you remember staying out playing hide and seek until dark, fuelled by eating penny sweets.

如果你已年過六旬，或許會回憶起在外邊玩捉迷藏直到天黑、靠著吃便士糖保持體力的時光。

You probably knew all your neighbours, read Enid Blyton and loved Angel Delight puddings.

你那時很可能認識所有的鄰居，讀過伊妮德?布萊頓的書，還愛吃快樂天使牌的布丁。

These are just some of a list of 50 favourite things which, according to 82% of 2,000 British adults over 60, meant it was better being a child 50 years ago than it is now.

以上這些只是2000名60歲以上英國老人選出來的“50件最喜歡的事”中的一些，他們當中有82%的人認為50年前做孩子比現在更幸福。

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And three-quarters of the over-60s reckoned childhood was the happiest time of their life.

這些60多歲的老人中，有75%都認為童年是一生中最快樂的時光。

They look back fondly on playing music on record players, watching Doctor Who from behind the sofa and hitting a tennis ball against the back of the house.

他們飽含深情地回憶起往昔，那時候他們用電唱機播放音樂，在沙發背后偷看《神秘博士》，還對著屋后的墻壁打網球。

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Most were convinced kids today are missing out on all the fun they had. But, fortunately, 79% said they tried to pass on the practical skills and wisdom they picked up to their grandchildren.

他們大多數都深信，如今的孩子們全然錯失了當年的這些樂趣。不過幸運的是，79%的人努力將自己的實踐技能和智慧傳授給自己的孫輩。

Among some of the life skills they try to transfer are table manners, knitting, bread making, skimming stones, making toys from wood and planting seeds.

他們試圖傳授的生活技能包括餐桌禮儀、編織、做面包、打水漂、用木頭做玩具、播種等等。

TV and radio host Gloria Hunniford, 76, said: “Being a grandparent is a truly wonderful and fulfilling experience.

76歲的廣播電視主持人格洛里亞?漢尼福說：“做祖父母真的很美好，讓人感到十分充實?！?/p>

“Passing on practical skills and sharing experiences that made my own childhood special has to be one of the most satisfying and enjoyable aspects of spending time with my grandchildren.”

“傳授實踐技能，分享經驗，是和孫輩相處中最令人滿足、最愉悅的時光，正是這些經驗技能讓我的童年顯得那么特別?！?/p>

 

老人們選出的“50件最喜歡的事”完整榜單：

Playing outside until it got dark

玩到天黑

Respect for your elders

尊重長輩

Knowing all your neighbours

認識所有鄰居

Penny sweets

便士糖果

Making dens

打造“秘密基地”

Climbing trees

爬樹

Playing marbles

玩彈珠

Playing conkers

串果戲

Hide and seek

捉迷藏

Trips to sweet shop

去糖果店

Music on record players

用電唱機放音樂

Owning a few toys and playing with them for hours

擁有幾個自己的玩具，樂此不疲地玩上幾個小時

Reading Enid Blyton

讀伊妮德?布萊頓的書

Collecting shells on the beach

在沙灘上撿貝殼

Sherbet dips

冰凍果子露

Swinging on ropes in the woods

在森林里蕩秋千

Skipping

跳繩

Playing hopscotch

跳房子

Hitting a tennis ball against the back of the house

對著屋后的墻壁打網球

Collecting stamps

集郵

Playing cowboys and Indians

玩牛仔和印第安人的游戲

Playing Monopoly

玩大富翁游戲

Daisy chains

雛菊花環

Grandma giving you money

外婆給錢花

Playing football in the park

在公園里踢足球

Making paper airplanes

做紙飛機

Roller skating

滑旱冰

Building a go kart

造卡丁車

Watching black and white TV

看黑白電視

Angel Delight

快樂天使牌的布丁

Going to Sunday school

上主日學校

Music on cassette tapes

磁帶上的歌

Making balsa wood aeroplanes

用巴爾杉木作飛機模型

Watching Doctor Who from behind the sofa

在沙發后面看《神秘博士》

Scalextric

車模比賽

Watching the FA Cup final

看英格蘭足總杯決賽

Blancmange

牛奶凍

Running into the cold sea

跑進冰涼的海水里

Water fights using old Fairy Liquid bottles

用神女洗碗液舊瓶子打水仗

Building tree houses

造樹屋

Playing soldiers

扮演大兵

Making things out of wood

用木頭做東西

Kicking freshly cut grass

把剛割下的草堆踢亂

Street parties

街頭派對

Playing kiss chase

玩追吻游戲

Semolina

粗面粉

Playing Etch A Sketch

蝕刻素描

Collecting coins

集硬幣

Playing Poohsticks

玩維尼棒游戲

Playing Subbuteo

玩桌上足球

鏡報網站截圖

My boyhood beat today's electronic wasteland

我的童年時代完勝今天的電子荒漠

By Paul Routledge

作者：保爾·盧特來基

The hot summer days and cold winter nights seemed to go on for ever, and there was a game for every hour.

炎熱的夏日和寒冷的冬夜年復一年，似乎永無盡頭。那時候我們每個鐘頭都在玩游戲。

Under the gas lamp at the bottom of Railway Terrace we played hide and seek, though we never called it by that posh-sounding name. It was more like “yerrout”!

火車站月臺下面，我們在煤氣燈下玩捉迷藏，但是那時候我們不用這個時髦的名字稱呼這個游戲，我們叫它yerrout！

Far better was “kick-out-can”, which also involved a lot of running and hiding. Best days? Certainly better than today’s electronic wasteland for kids.

“踢罐子躲貓貓”更好玩，我們會邊跑邊躲。最好的時光？絕對比現在孩子們的電子荒漠好玩。

In school holidays, we played out all day until it got too dark or we were too hungry. We played English v Germans, with home-made tommy guns. Rat-at-at-at! The war was a recent memory.

學校放假的時候，我們會玩上一整天，不到天黑或肚子餓絕不回家。我們玩“英國人對抗德國人”，拿著自制的沖鋒槍。“叭叭叭叭！”那時候二戰才過去不久。

The girls played hopscotch and skipping – lasses’ games that it was a boy’s delight to interrupt.

女孩們玩跳房子、跳繩，男孩最喜歡給她們搗亂。

Grandma never gave me any money. In any case, what would we have spent it on? Everything was still on the ration, including pear drops, my favourite sweets.

祖母從來不給我零花錢。不過就算給我錢，我也沒地方可花。那時所有物資都是定量發放，包括我最喜歡的梨形糖果。

I went to Sunday school but got expelled for trying to tie the teacher’s shoelaces together. When I got home, I found out why my parents wanted me out for the afternoon.

我上過主日學校，但是我總想把老師的鞋帶系在一塊，所以被開除了。到家后，爸媽整個下午都不讓我進門。

Reading Enid Blyton was for cissies. It was Captain W. E. Johns and Biggles.

娘娘腔才會看伊妮德?布萊頓的書，我看W. E.約翰斯上尉寫的《消失的戰線》。

Go karts hadn’t been invented. We made trolleys, out of old pram wheels from the tip, held together with boards. Lethal, they were, down the muckstacks.

我們還在垃圾堆刨東西做成雷鳴戰機。那時還沒有卡丁車。我們把舊嬰兒車的一端和木板合起來，就是一個手推車。

Good times, simple pleasures, still strong in the memory. Collecting shells on the beach was never as satisfying as making castles of sand and driftwood, then watching the tide destroy them.

那些美好的時光，簡單的快樂，都在記憶中揮之不去。沙灘撿貝殼絕對比不上用沙子和浮木做城堡，然后看潮水將其摧毀。

Growing older, there was collecting and swapping cigarette cards of footballers and engines, and graduating to three-card brag.

長大一些后，我們喜歡收集、交換印有足球運動員和軍械的香煙卡片，再后來，我們愛玩三張撲克游戲。

Then you realised girls were more interesting than trainspotting. The big boys’ game arrived, and innocence departed.

后來，你會發現女孩子比猜火車更有趣。大男孩的游戲就此展開了，童真也從此遠去。

注：electronic wasteland（電子荒漠）指人們沉迷于電子產品，導致情感和文化荒漠化。

英文來源：鏡報

編譯：丹妮