本节内容来源于英国著名的哲学家和散文家培根（Francis Bacon）的散文——《论父母与子女》（Of Parents and Children）的选段，其中的思想蕴藏着深厚的哲理和意境，语句也充满美感和作者“机智”的幽默。本节的主要内容在于培根总体阐述了子女的存在对于父母的重要意义。那么子女和父母应该保持怎样健康的亲子关系呢？子女之于父母有什么意义呢？这是在这一节我们需要思考的问题。
The joys of parents are secret; and so are their griefs and fears. They cannot utter the one; nor will they utter the other. Children sweeten labours; but they make misfortunes more bitter. They increase the cares of life; but they mitigate the remembrance of death. The perpetuity by generation is common to beasts; but memory, merit, and noble works, are proper to men. And surely a man shall see the noblest works and foundations have proceeded from childless men; which have sought to express the images of their minds, where those of their bodies have failed. So the care of posterity is most in them that have no posterity. They that are the first raisers of their houses, are most indulgent towards their children; beholding them as the continuance, not only of their kind, but of their work; and so both children and creatures.
▍生词好句
utter: vt. 说出；表达
sweeten: vt. 减轻；使变甜
mitigate: vt. 使缓和；使减轻
remembrance: n. 回忆；记忆
perpetuity: n. 永恒
work: n. 作品；事业
posterity: n. 后代；后裔
indulgent: adj. 放纵的；娇惯的（本节可理解为“非常看重的”）