The Price of A Mother's Love

母爱的价格

母亲，很熟悉又很遥远的词语，富有着爱与关心，母亲的价值不只是一种买卖，更是对她们的认同和尊重！

美国作家克里腾登写过一篇题为《母亲的价格》的文章，提倡应把母亲所做到的各项工作量化，给她们应有的肯定。她指出，母亲是一种“技术性的中级管理”工作，若母亲的工作可获薪水，合理的年薪约为6万美元。而有名的“埃德尔曼财经服务组织”经过缜密的计算和评估得出这样的结论“若将母亲所做的各类型工作改为出钱聘人代劳，那么，子女一年所付的工钱高达63.5万美元。可以说母亲的工资足与大公司总裁同级。不要说63.5万美元的年薪了，即便6万美元的工资，又有多少子女能够支付得起呢？原来我们在享用母爱的同时，不知不觉之间，已经欠下了母亲那么巨大的一笔薪水，而我们自己，却依然是那么心安理得。我们常常说母亲无价，是不是也有为自己掩饰什么的意图呢？但母亲们却不知道这些。我想天底下的母亲，大约没有几人知道自己原来可以一年拿到这么多的薪水，即便知道了，可能也是一笑了之，没有人会向子女伸手要这笔钱吧。譬如计算出母亲合理年薪为6万美元的克里腾登，如果她有子女，大概也不会在年底说：孩子，该给我发工资了吧，6万美元，拿来！母亲是一种职业，是一种无薪水的工作。女人一旦做了母亲，几乎无一例外地全身心投入这份劳碌的烦杂的永无止境的工作，母亲们做得细腻，做得纯粹，乐此不疲，头发做白了，腰做弯曲了，眼睛昏花了，她们也毫无怨言，对于她们来说，做母亲，是自己一生最大的事业。

    母亲，只有两个字的一个词，轻轻地读出来，却又是如此沉重。它积淀了一个女人一生的时间和汗水，还有那么多的债务，子女们欠下的，永远也不能支付母亲的工资。

The Price of A Mother's Love

A little boy went up to his mother and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on.

This is what it said:

For cutting the grass $5.00

For cleaning my room this week $1.00

For going to the store for you $0.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $0.25

Taking out the garbage $1.00

For getting a good report card $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard $2.00

Total Owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there expectantly, and you could see the memories flashing through her mind.

So she picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, no charge.

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored you and prayed for you, no charge.

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years, there's no charge.

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead, no charge.

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose, there's no charge, son.

And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is no charge.

When he finished reading what his mother had written, there were great big tears in his eyes.

And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "ALREADY PAID”.