English Original
I offered to watch my three-year-old daughter, Ramanda, so my wife could go out. I was working while she played in another room. When it grew too quiet, I called out, "What are you doing, Ramanda?"
No answer. I repeated my question and heard a faint, "Oh... nothing."
I rushed into the living room just in time to see her dart down the hall. I chased her upstairs, following her little figure as it swerved into a bedroom. Gaining on her, I cornered her in the bathroom. Using my most authoritative voice, I commanded, "Young lady, turn around!"
Slowly, she turned. In her hand was the remains of my wife's new lipstick. Her entire face was smeared with bright red—except her lips.
As she looked up, eyes wide with fear and lips trembling, the scolding words from my own childhood echoed in my mind: "How could you? You should know better!" I was about to unleash them when I glanced at her sweatshirt, put on just an hour before. In bold letters, it proclaimed: "I'M A PERFECT LITTLE ANGEL!"
Looking into her tearful eyes, I no longer saw a disobedient child. I saw a precious little angel, full of worth and spontaneous joy—a spirit I had nearly crushed with shame.
"Sweetheart, you look beautiful!" I said instead. "Let's take a picture for Mommy." I captured the moment, grateful I hadn't missed the chance to affirm the perfect little angel I'd been given.
中文翻译
我主动提出照看三岁的女儿拉曼达，好让妻子出门。我在工作时，她在另一个房间玩耍。当一切变得过于安静时，我喊道：“拉曼达，你在干什么？”
没有回答。我重复了问题，听到她小声说：“哦……没什么。”
我冲进客厅，正好看到她飞快地跑向走廊。我追着她上了楼，眼看着她的小身影拐进了卧室。我快追上她时，她在浴室里无处可逃了。我用最威严的声音命令道：“小姐，转过身来！”
她慢慢地转过身。手里拿着的是我妻子新口红剩下的部分。她整张脸都涂满了鲜红色——除了嘴唇。
她抬起头，眼睛因恐惧而睁大，嘴唇颤抖着。我童年时听到的那些责骂声在我脑海中回响：“你怎么能这样？你应该更懂事！”我正要对她吼出这些话时，目光落在了她一小时前才穿上的运动衫上。上面用粗体字印着：“我是完美的小天使！”
望着她泪眼汪汪的眼睛，我不再看到一个不听话的孩子。我看到一个珍贵的小天使，充满价值与自发的快乐——而我差点用羞耻感扼杀了这种精神。
“亲爱的，你真漂亮！”我改口说道。“我们给妈妈拍张照片吧。”我记录下了这一刻，庆幸自己没有错过这个机会，去肯定我得到的这个完美的小天使。