小偷和他的母亲
类别：寓言
母亲对孩子年少偷窃的盲目纵容，最终让他沦为阶下囚，揭示了防微杜渐的育人道理。
时长 51 秒 · 语速 167 wpm
字幕原文
When he was a little boy, 他小的时候，
he stole a book from a classmate and brought it home. 从同学那儿偷了一本书带回家。
His mother didn't scold him. 他妈妈并没有骂他。
She smiled and said, "Clever boy." 她反而笑着说：“真聪明。”
Next, it was a coat. 再后来，是件外套。
She smiled again. 她又笑了。
As he grew up, he stole bigger and bigger things, 随着慢慢长大，他偷的东西越来越大，
until one day he was finally caught and sentenced to a long time in prison. 直到有一天他终于被抓，被判了重刑。
As the guards led him away, 当守卫押着他走的时候，
his mother pushed through the crowd, crying. 他妈妈哭着从人群中挤了过来。
"May I say one thing to my mother?" “我能跟我妈说句话吗？”
he asked. 他问。
He leaned close to her ear. 他凑到她的耳边。
But he didn't whisper. 但他并没有压低声音，
He said it loudly, so that everyone could hear. 而是大声说了出来，好让所有人都听得清清楚楚：
"If you had punished me the first time, “要是你第一次就惩罚了我，
when I stole that book, I wouldn't be standing here today." 在偷那本书的时候管了我，我今天也不会站在这里了。”
She had no answer. 她一句话也答不上来。
A small wrong that nobody corrects doesn't stay small. 没人纠正的小错，不会一直只是小错。
It grows up along with the child. 它会随着孩子一起长大。
所属专辑：伊索寓言 · 提高篇（Aesop's Fables）