Question: My daughter Chen Chen has just turned 4 and wants to explore more outdoors. I’m very concerned to allow her to play outside for a variety of reasons, but most specifically because she may fall and hurt herself. Can you offer any advice on how I can avoid this?

问题：我的女儿晨晨刚过4岁，她开始对户外世界产生越来越大的兴趣。但我对于让她出去玩这件事情有诸多担心，比如她会摔倒或伤到自己。有什么方法可以避免这些户外伤害吗？

Answer: The simple answer to your question is you can’t. Unless you bubble wrap your child and lock her indoors until she is eighteen, she will get injured occasionally. Falling down and picking one’s self up is part of life. Children are a lot more durable than we give them credit for, and you may think you are doing your child a service by protecting them from the scrapes and bruises of the world, but trust me, you’re not. Part of childhood is exploration, and part of that exploration is learning your limitations by testing the waters. As a young, curious explorer, this is how you learn about the world. Think of your daughter as a tiny scientist. She is experimenting with her environment and how to interact with it. What may seem like mindless play to you is really a scientific study of careful trial and error in which your child is learning through meticulous analysis of her surroundings. It is through this process that we, as humans, learn to grow and interact with our world. You can’t protect your daughter from bruises and scrapes; they’re part of life. Think of them as badges of honor, rites of passage as she develops and grows. This type of play also teaches one element of life a classroom cannot - it teaches children to take risks. And, by learning to takes risks, they learn to challenge themselves and the world. It is these very little risk takers that will one day grow into our leaders of tomorrow, but they won’t be able to do that if you don’t first unlock the door, take off the protective bubble wrap, and allow them to take their first step outdoors.

回答：对您问题最简单的回答是：你无法避免这些伤害。唯一的办法是，在孩子18岁成年前，将她放在安全气泡里或锁在屋内，这样她将很少受伤。摔倒和自己爬起来是成长中不可缺少的经历。幼儿远比我们想象的坚强。你也许想为孩子提供保护，使他们远离擦伤和摔伤，但是请相信我，这样做并无益处。探索外在世界是童年不可缺少的经历，其中就包括测试水温这样常见的行为。年幼的孩子都是好奇的探索者，亲自尝试是他们了解世界最常用的方式。你可以把自己的女儿想象成是小小的科学家。她用自己的方式感知世界，并与之建立互动与联系。在你看来随意的玩耍其实正是孩子通过自己的努力进行的科学实验，用他们的小头脑在了解分析身边的世界。我们人类正是通过这样的过程学习成长并与外界互动。不能因为害怕孩子摔伤就简单地将他们和外界隔离，因为这是生活的一部分。把这些经历看做孩子在成长中获得的“徽章”，将在他们的人生中留下重要印记。同时，户外玩耍经历也带给孩子不同于教室的体验。在这里，孩子们知道了什么是冒险。而且，通过尝试冒险，他们还开始挑战自己的能力和整个世界。这些体验都锻炼了孩子的意志，并可能帮助他在将来成为明天的领袖。但是前提是你不能把他们锁在家中，或者罩上保护泡，而是鼓励他们走出家门，到大自然的怀抱中体验世界。