My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night lights, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting (适应) well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you,” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cellphone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.
小题1:The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ___________.
A．she watched the scene with her daughter
B．the scene was very exciting and interesting
C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson
D．the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children小题2:After he daughter went to college, the writer ___________.
A．didn’t get used to the change for a long time
B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much
C．realized she hadn’t done enough for the daughter
D．failed to have a good sleep every night小题3:What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?
A．Happiness.
B．Anger.
C．Sadness.
D．Excitement.小题4:We can infer that watching Toy Story 3 ___________.
A．made the writer know her daughter didn’t want to go to college
B．improved the relationship between the writer and her daughter
C．helped the writer realize how important education was
D．made the writer miss her daughter even more
