I was studying for a huge science test when my little brother and sister burst into the kitchen, singing at the top of their lungs: Squirrels (松鼠) in the garden, Squirrels in the tree, I’m a happy squirrel, Look at me. . . Then, just as soon as they finished, they started singing all over again.

“Wow! That’s a pretty catchy song, ” I said after the third time around. But I asked them to stop singing as I was trying to study.

“Sorry, Zona, ” said Indi. “But we really do need to keep singing it. Our music teacher said so!” “Yeah, ” said Tex. “Our class is putting on a squirrel play for Parents Night, and we have to memorize every single word by Friday!” Indi added that they had to make their own tails and ears and dumped (倾倒 ) out a bag full of furry costume parts. “Can you help us?”

“Maybe in a little while, ” I said. “Right now, I need to read my book. ”

Tex and Indi sang that song while they were making their costumes, while they were doing their housework, and even while they were brushing their teeth!

Since Tex and Indi squeaked (吱吱叫) and sang every day that week, I wasn’t as prepared as I wanted to be for my test on Friday. And in the middle of taking my test, the squirrel song started playing over and over in my head. It was almost impossible for me to focus on the last few questions.

When I got home that afternoon, all I wanted to do was a rest on the couch. The only thing was, Tex and Indi had beaten me to it.

“Can you please let me sit too?” I complained. “I had a bad day!” “We had a bad day too!” said Tex. “Yeah, ” said Indi. “A group of kids in our class got sick, so tonight’s play is canceled!”

We were just three unhappy persons sitting in silence for a really long time. Even though I had been complaining about their singing, it broke my heart to see them disappointed. They had been so excited about the show. I said after a while, “I can’t let all of your practising go to waste. ”

3 . Sports are important in our family. Both of our sons were high-school athletes. So, I shouldn’t have been _________ when Lauren announced she was going out for the girls’ basketball team. But I was, because she has Down syndrome(唐氏综合症). My wife and I never told Lauren that she was _________. We treated her like our other children. We didn’t want her to feel disabled.

“I’m gonna play basketball, Daddy.” Lauren ran to meet me when I came in from work. She flew into my arms and lingered long in my embrace. “That’s _________, honey,” I patted her shoulder and walked into the kitchen. My wife spoke slowly, her tone steady. “What Lauren’s trying to say is that she’s joining the girls’ high-school basketball team.” Her words _________ in. Everything that could happen flashed through my mind. But what could we do?

Mid-November, the season’s first basketball game arrived. It got off to a good start, but soon Verden, Lauren’s team, was behind. Lauren _________ followed the movement on the court and reacted to every shot. Even though she wasn’t playing, she looked as if she were having the time of her life.

Just less than two minutes were left, and Verden was down by seventeen points when Lauren was called in for the game! She _________ the others fairly well. From her agile movement and eager expression, I knew she was desperate to score for her team. Then they passed Lauren the ball. She _________ it. She shot. She scored! A few minutes later, Lauren joined us in the stands. “Did you see? I scored! I made a _________!”

For sixteen years, I’d tried hard to _________ Lauren from feeling like she was different. But watching Lauren in the game, I saw that she really was different—not physically or emotionally, but __________.

7 . Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in the Mediterranean, swimming and floating in the picture-perfect sea. It was extremely beautiful in Majorca, Spain. The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.

My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was something we always wanted to do “one day”. It was one of the things we talked at length about, when we imagined our life with the children we hoped we would have.

Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on those plans.

We spent dozens of hours discussing, researching and planning. We had to learn how to “road school” our kids and arrange time off from work. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful, how diverse, and how amazing the world is. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels as young adults.

But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on (阻止) our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating breakfast and rushing out of the door in time for school. We needed a family time-out.

It was a wonderful two-month trip in Europe, full of incredible moments. And when we look back at our lives, I know we’ll be glad we did it. I know we’ll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.

Diana’s birthday was approaching, however, her usual excitement was now replaced with disappointment and pressure. Turning eleven means a lot to her, and she had always expected to throw a party surrounded by her friends. Sadly, this year was totally different. The heavy burden of homework and her parents’ struggling business weighed heavily on her, forcing Diana to make the difficult decision of not having a birthday party, even though it was an event she enjoyed dearly every year.

One day, during break, her best friend, Alice, with a curious look in her eyes, approached. “Are you going to have a birthday party this year?” asked Alice, sensing Diana’s sadness.

“No,” Diana sighed and replied sadly, “There’s just too much going on and my parents are going through financial difficulties.”

She smiled weakly, trying to conceal her immense disappointment and stress, but Alice saw through her pretence (假装) easily. Alice nodded thoughtfully and did not say anything. After the break, Diana saw her talking to one of their classmates, Sarah, secretively. Curious, Diana went over to them, but as soon as Alice saw her, she quickly walked away. Diana was startled by Alice’s strange actions and turned towards Sarah.

“What did she say?” Diana asked.

However, Sarah simply shrugged and walked away with Alice, leaving Diana standing there, feeling left out and anxious.

What is happening? Diana wondered anxiously. Are they keeping something from me?

As Diana’s birthday drew nearer, Alice was often found chatting softly with her other classmates. Whenever Diana went over to them, they would just walk away or tell her that they were talking about a secret which Diana was not allowed to know. Alice has never kept secrets from me before, Diana thought. Her heart fell. Even her friends were distancing themselves from her! She swung between confusion and sadness with each passing moment, desperately trying to figure out what was happening. Why were her friends distancing themselves from her? And what were they hiding?

On Diana’s birthday, she went to school, finding her classroom in total darkness.

Tears welled up in Diana’s eyes, her face brightening up with a broad smile.