Parents lead such busy lives that they no longer have time to read bedtime stories to their children, a survey has found. Sixty per cent said they had stories read to them when they were young, but nearly half now just turn off the lights and close the door. A study published today reveals that while mums and dads are full of good intentions, they find it hard to fit stories into their busy schedules。

　　曾记得儿时在入睡前听着爸爸妈妈讲的故事再缓缓进入梦乡是一个多么惬意的事情，但是据报道，当今的职场的年轻爸爸、年轻妈妈们再也没有时间、再也抽不出空为自己的宝贝睡前念故事，有60%的英国年轻爸爸妈妈承认他们的小时候可以享受“听爸妈讲故事”的福利。然而数据显示，目前有过半的父母睡觉前再也做不到讲故事，虽然父母也想让自己的宝贝能够享受自己儿时的待遇，但是工作繁忙的新时代父母无法将讲故事的时间安排到日常生活中，“关灯睡觉”称为新时代父母哄小孩入睡的新法则。

　　Of the 2,000 parents surveyed by telecoms firm TalkTalk only 52 per cent said they read bedtime stories to their children. The remaining 48 per cent said their lives were too hectic to squeeze a story in. Yet eight out of ten surveyed agreed that children’s development can be boosted by bedtime reading. Those in Wales, East Anglia and Scotland are least likely to read to their children, while those in London, the West Midlands and the North West are most likely to. The worrying statistics come after a government adviser last year warned that middle class children are struggling to learn how to talk because working parents are unable to find the time to help with speech development。

　　据悉，有2000名父母参与了调查，其中只有52%的父母有时间讲故事哄孩子入睡，其余的48%的父母承认无法做到讲故事。尽管如此，有80%还是承认“睡前讲故事”可以帮助儿童的身心上全面健康发展。其实讲故事也有地域化的限制，调查显示，在威尔士、东安格利亚以及苏格兰的职场父母很少有时间讲故事哄孩子入睡，而在伦敦、西米德兰兹等地区的父母更有时间陪小孩入睡。此外，有政府顾问警告称，越来越多的中产阶级的后代的“会话能力”十分困难，因为他们“日理万机”的父母找不出时间讲故事，一定程度上限制了他们语言能力的发展。