Linda and Mick Plows are planning to have what they call a fairly quiet Christmas this year -- just the two of them， their three teenagers， two grown-up children and one 11-year-old.

If that still sounds like quite a gathering¹， it's nothing compared with the numbers usually to be found in the Plows' nine-bedroomed house， overlooking Bull Bay² on the North Wales coast. For a start³， this will be the first Christmas for years that Mick and Linda aren't fostering⁴ any children -- they've given a home to 14 over the years. On top of that， there are the five children with special needs who they've looked after to give their parents a break， plus the 29 who have spent time with them during the period Linda has been a registered child-minder.

It can be noisy， it can be hard work， but that's just how Linda and Mick always wanted it.

Both lively and warm they planned to have four children when they married， 25 years ago.

\"We never even thought about the possibility of not being able to，\" remembers Mick. But Linda was unable to carry her babies to full term. \"I lost one little boy at 28 weeks，\" she says quietly. \"He'd have been 22 by now.\"

At long last， they had a daughter， Julie， who was born six weeks premature. \"It was just amazing.\" says Linda. \"We love her to excess -- this 5lb5 bundle of love that we never thought we'd be able to make.\" They tried for others， but it wasn't to be. Finally， they decided to adopt⁶ and， while they were on the two-year waiting list， they took the step to foster.

When Julie was two， the family fostered their first child， a nine-year-old boy who'd had problems at home. \"It was nothing like we'd imagined，\" says Linda， but it didn't stop them.

Currently， the family stands at eight. As well as Linda， Mick and their \"homemade\" daughter Julie， 21， there's Sarah， 12， on Christmas Eve， and twins Daniel and Adrian， 17， who are all adopted， and Bernard， 19， and his natural sister Susan， 24， who came to the couple for fostering 15 years ago. They were officially out of care at 18 years old but， although Bernard's just started at university and Susan has her own flat nearby， both consider Bull Bay their home.\"When the family gets together，\"says Bernard，\"it feels...\" he searches for the right words， \"So secure.\"

What does Linda get out it all? \"I just believe that every child deserves a chance in life and we're able to give them that，\" she says simply. And that attitude has spread to the whole family. A while ago， they fostered a blind girl who had cerebral palsy⁷. They all took it in turns to help her with her exercises and， one and a half years later， when she left them， she'd regained vision in one eye.

Linda and Mick felt strongly that the best place for children is in a loving family. \"Daniel， Adrian and Sarah are all Anglo-West Indian and because the adoption laws have changed， we wouldn't be able to adopt them now.\" says Linda. \"I think that's sad. I'm sure there are lots of children stuck in⁸ care who just want some love.\"

And that's exactly what Linda and Mick give their children --and in equal amounts. \"Mum and Dad have always treated all of us exactly the same.\" explains Bernard.

\"When Bernard went to university， people told me I'd feel different watching him walk away than I felt when I watched Julie， because he wasn't my own，\" says Linda. \"But I felt exactly the same. He's never had a chip⁹ on his shoulder about being fostered， he's just got on with it and， when I watched him walk across the car park， I felt so proud. And I'm proud of all of them.\"

They're obviously a happy family， but a busy one too. A typical day in the Plows' household starts at 6:30 a. m.， when the twins get up to go to the local technical college. If they have a spare moment they'll make the fire or spread out the washing and take Linda up a cup of tea before they leave. All the jobs are shared. \"They get done quicker that way，\" says Sarah， whose favourite house work is the washing-up. Then Linda is ready to start the first of four daily loads of washing. Shopping and cooking are also fairly heavy household work -- the family gets through an average of two to three loaves of bread a day and eight pints of milk.

Linda's child-minding charges arrive and during the day the house resembles a mursery， with toddlers jumping happily round the garden or eating quietly in the kitchen. One of the two living rooms overlooking the bay has several cots¹⁰ in it for the toddlers' afternoon nap.

Sarah comes home from school at 3:30 p. m. and at five o'clock， the twins return from college. They're happy to help out with the toddlers， as is Julie， who is back home after studying Communications at university. She likes being part of such a large family. \"I can't imagine it any other way，\" she says. \"And it means you've always got someone to talk to.\"

Schoolwork and manners play a large part in the Plows' home life. \"Old-fashioned family values¹¹ are important，\" explains Linda. \"You have to teach children how to behave or no one will want to know them. We try to teach them to respect and be fair to others. We've been quite strict.\"

Mick agrees: \"I'm not afraid to tell them off. We've tried to teach them to take responsibility for their lives. Each one has to tidy their own room and the older ones get summer jobs in the holidays. Linda and I believe that school is about real learning and you can't do that if you're half asleep. The kids go to bed when we say so. Which is when? The house is quiet by 10:30 p.m. and Sarah's always in bed by 9 p. m..

Having such a big family has been a drain¹² on the finances at times， but Linda and Mick don't mind. \"I know some people wonder why we choose to look after other people's children when we could have a comfortable home and bank balance¹³ ，\" smiles Linda， \"but I think there's more to life than a big bank account¹⁴. There have been times when we couldn't afford to go out but we've always put the kids first and it's paid off. We've had a lot of fun.\"

When they do stay in they all play cards and board games， or Linda and Mick help the kids with their homework.

\"They're always there to help us with everything，\" says Daniel， who wants to be an architect when he grows up.

Most importantly， Linda and Mick feel that they've given all their children a fair chance in life， a chance not all of them would otherwise have had. Bernard says he feels grareful for that. \"I wouldn't be at university now if I hadn't come to live with Mum and Dad.\" he says.

But Mick is firm that the credit¹⁵ lies with¹⁶ the children. \"All we've done is to give every child the best chance we could. But the full credit goes to them for making the best of their chances.\"

Notes:

1. quite a gathering 不小的人群

2. overlooking Bull Bay 俯臨公牛灣

3. for a start 首先

4. fostervt. 撫養(yǎng)（但并不在法律上以作繼承人，而是定期托管）

5. lb（= pounds） n.磅

6. adopt vt. 收養(yǎng)，過繼（成為新家的永久成員，法定繼承人）

7. cerebral palsy 大腦癱瘓

8. stick in 把…放在…里

9. chip n.薄木片

10. cot n. 吊床，小兒臥床

11. value n. 社會準則

12. drainn. 負擔

13. bank balance 銀行存款余額

14. bank account 活期存款

15. credit n. 榮譽

16. lie with 取決于

琳達和米克·普勞茲夫婦倆正在計劃著今年要過一個他們稱之為清靜的圣誕節(jié)——僅他倆和三個十多歲的，兩個十七八歲的及一個十一歲的孩子們在一起過節(jié)。

如果這聽來也像是家庭聚會，那它要和這家的九間面朝北威爾士公牛灣的臥室居住者人數(shù)相比也就算不得什么了。首先，這該是他倆多年來暫時沒有托管任何孩子的第一個圣誕節(jié)——幾年來他們曾給十四個孩子提供家庭。不僅如此，有五個孩子為了讓父母有個休息時間，而來這里接受照看；另外還有二十九個孩子就在琳達登記為“兒童看護者”這段時間，已來這里與他們共度時光。

這樣的一個家，算得上喧鬧異常，家務繁重。但這正是琳達和米克經(jīng)常想要看到的情景。

由于精力旺盛，富于生活熱情，他倆在二十五年前結婚時就計劃過要生四個孩子。

“我們決然沒有料到這事情無法實現(xiàn)的可能性，”米克回憶說?？上Я者_總是無法懷胎足月?！岸酥軙r，我失掉一個小男孩，”她平靜地說，“要是活著的話，現(xiàn)在都二十二歲了?！?/p>

過了許久，他們生了個女兒朱莉葉，早產(chǎn)了六周?！笆虑榫褪瞧婀?，”琳達說，“我們對她的愛，走了極端——這包裹著僅有五磅重的小寶寶，我們根本沒想到能把她養(yǎng)活?！彼麄兛傉J為她是別人家的，但她不是。后來，他們決定將她過繼出去，然而在那被排定為兩年的等待期里，他們只得開始自己撫養(yǎng)。

在朱莉葉兩歲時，這一家開始撫育別人家的孩子。那是個在家中難以管教的九歲男孩。“一點也不像我們想象的，”琳達說，但這并沒有讓他們知難而退。

通常這家人八點鐘起床。同琳達、米克和他們“生的”二十一歲的朱莉葉一起作息的，有除夕之夜整十二歲的薩拉，有被收養(yǎng)的十七歲的孿生兄弟丹尼爾和埃德里安，還有十九歲的伯納德和他的二十四歲的親姐姐蘇珊。這姐弟倆于十五年前投奔這一對夫婦，接受撫育。他們正式解除撫育是在十八歲。但盡管伯納德上了大學，蘇珊在附近有她自己的公寓，但她倆還仍然把公牛灣看做自己的家?！爱斶@家人聚在一起時，”伯納德說，“還仿佛覺得……”他搜尋恰當字眼，“那樣安心”。

琳達這樣做，出于什么動機？“我只是認為每個孩子都應得到生活上的一種幸福機緣，而我們有能力為他們提供這種機緣?！彼f得樸實無華。而這種心意傳遍他們全家。前一陣他們撫育過一個因大腦癱瘓而致失明的女孩，大伙兒輪流幫她進行鍛煉。一年半之后，她辭別他們時，有一只眼已恢復了視力。

琳達和米克強烈地意識到兒童的最佳樂園是在一個有愛心的家中?！暗つ釥枴５吕锇埠退_拉都是英裔西印度人，但由于收養(yǎng)法的修改，如今我們不能再收養(yǎng)他們，”琳達說，“我認為此事令人悲哀。我認為許許多多需要人照看的孩子，都正是需要一定的愛心的?！?/p>

而這正是琳達和米克所給予孩子們的東西——并且一視同仁?！皨寢尯桶职质冀K以同一態(tài)度對待我們大家，”伯納德做了說明。

“當伯納德去上大學時，人們對我說：當我眼看他走出去與我眼看朱莉葉走出去，我的感覺會有所不同，因為他不是我親生的，”琳達說。“但是我的感覺卻是一樣的，他的肩頭上從來沒掛著定期撫育的招牌，他只是名義上這樣長大的。當我眼看著他去上車時，我感到非常自豪。我也為他們全體而自豪?！?/p>

他們顯然是很幸福的一家人，也是很忙碌的一家人。在普勞茲家典型的一天生活是從早晨六點半開始，那一對孿生兄弟要在那時起床去當?shù)毓I(yè)學院上學。如果他們時間富余，走之前就去升爐子，晾衣服，給琳達送去一杯茶。所有的活計都由大家干。“這樣，活兒就干得快些，”薩拉說。薩拉最喜歡的活兒是洗碗碟。稍后琳達則準備開始洗每天四大堆衣服的第一批。采購和做飯也是很繁重的家務——全家每人平均食用二至三塊面包和八品脫牛奶。

琳達的“照看嬰兒”的任務一到，白天時這個家像個托兒所。初學走路的嬰兒在花園里快活地蹦跳，或在廚房里安靜地吃喝。面朝海灣的兩間之起居室之一放著幾張小床，供那些嬰兒午睡時用。

下午三時半薩拉放學回到家中；五點鐘那一對孿生兄弟從學院歸來。他們都樂于在戶外幫助去哄那些初學走路的嬰兒玩。在大學學交通管理的朱莉葉回到家里時也是如此。她慶幸自己是這個大家庭的一員?！叭舨皇沁@樣，我真難以想象?！彼f，“這意味著你隨時都有可以相互交談的人?！?/p>

學校留的作業(yè)和家中的規(guī)矩禮貌在普勞茲家的家庭生活中占主導地位?！芭f式的家庭準則很重要，”琳達解釋說，“你得教育孩子們如何做人，否則就誰都不想學這個。我們要設法教育他們尊重別人、待人公平。對這些我們素來是嚴格的?！?/p>

米克具有同感：“派他們干活我從不遲疑。我們曾設法教育他們?yōu)樽约旱纳顡鹭熑?，每人都要打掃自己的房間。年齡大些的，暑假里去干臨時工。琳達和我都認為學校是真正抓學習的地方，你不能昏昏欲睡地學習功課，孩子們要按我們規(guī)定的時間就寢。什么時間?晚上十點半，房子要靜下來。薩拉總是到九點就睡覺?！?/p>

操持這樣一個大家庭，時時都有財務負擔，但琳達和米克并不介意。“我知道有些人會覺得奇怪：我們本來可以有個舒適的家和可觀的銀行存款余額，為什么偏要照看別人家的孩子，”琳達笑著說，“但是我認為關注生活重于大筆的活期存款。有的時候，我們沒錢外出，但也得讓孩子們優(yōu)先，給他們帶上必要的錢，這樣我們心里很愉快?！?/p>

孩子們待在家里時，經(jīng)常打撲克、下棋，或者由琳達、米克輔導他們作業(yè)。

“他們兩位總是在那里幫我們干這干那，”丹尼爾說。這孩子總想將來長大時去當建筑師。

頂重要者，是琳達和米克覺得他們已經(jīng)在生活上給了孩子們以富有希望的生活機遇，如若不然，這些孩子們不一定能夠獲得如此機遇。伯納德說為了這點他心里特別感激。“要不是我來和媽媽、爸爸生活在一起，現(xiàn)在我上不了大學”，他說。

然而米克堅持認為：榮譽之獲得取決于孩子本身?！拔覀兯龅氖潜M我們所能，給予每個孩子最佳機遇。但是全部的榮譽屬于最善于駕馭機遇的人。”