掲載文：

When I was a kid, I sometimes felt lonely at home because my mother worked full-time and I was an only child.
So, I had a dream of being a mother who always stays at home, doing the housework and taking care of her children.

However, now that I have grown up and become a mother of two, I have realized how hard it must have been for my mother to bring me up and also to take care of her sickly mother-in-law without much help from her husband.
I wish my mother could have lived longer.
I just hope to inherit her perseverant attitude toward life and her resilience, even if only a little.

和文：

　子どもの頃、母はフルタイムで働いており、しかも私は一人っ子だったので、家では時々寂しい思いをした。 だから家で家事をし、子育てをする母親にあこがれた。

　しかし、大人になり二人の子どもを持つ今、非協力的な夫と病気がちの姑を抱えながら私を育ててくれた母がどれだけたいへんだったかがわかる。 母にはもっと長生きをしてもらいたかったが、母の生きる気概や強さを少しでも受け継ぐことができたらと思うばかりだ。

　 　 only child ・・・ 一人っ子
　 　 mother of two ・・・ 二児の母
　 　 sickly ・・・ 病気がちな
　 　 mother-in-law ・・・ 姑
　 　 inherit ・・・ 引き継ぐ
　 　 perseverant ・・・ 忍耐強い
　 　 resilience ・・・ 粘り強さ、立ち直る力
　 　 only a little ・・・ 少しでも

投稿文：

　When I was a kid, I sometimes felt lonely at home becasue my mother worked full-time and I was an only child.
　So I had a dream of being a mother who always stays at home, doing household chores and taking care of her children.
　However, now that I have grown up and become a mother of two, I have found how hard it was for my mother to bring me up with an uncooperative husband and a sickly mother-in-law.
　I wish she could live longer, and I hope to inherit some of her courage and resillience to live.

掲載文：

My childhood dream was to become a hero, who is a person of justice and who sides with the weak against the strong.
Watching heroes in TV programs, I aspired to be like one.
I wanted to take Karate or Kendo lessons to become stronger and also wanted to get a motorcycle license to look and be cool.
My dream was, however, flatly rejected by my parents with the words, "Be feminine," and that was the end.

和文：

　私の子供の頃の夢は正義の味方になること。弱きを助け、強きをくじくというあれです。テレビのヒーロー番組を見て憧れて、より強くなるために空手や剣道を習い、格好よくなるためにバイクの免許も取りたかったのですが、その夢は両親の「女の子なんだから」の一言で却下されてしまったのです。

　 　 side with〜 ・・・ 〜の味方をする
　 　 the weak ・・・ 弱い人たち（the+形容詞⇒〜な人々）
　 　 aspire to be 〜 ・・・ 〜になりたいと切望する
　 　 flatly ・・・ にべもなく
　 　 feminine ・・・ 女らしい

投稿文：
　My childhood dream was becoming a hero of justice.
　It is the person who is helping the weak and battering the strong.
　Watching heroes of the TV programs, I longed for them and I wanted to practice Karate or kendo to be stronger and to take a motorcycle license to be cool.
　However, my dream was rejected flatly by one word of my parents 'Be feminine.' That's that.

掲載文：

　"dreaming"

When I was just a little girl,
I wanted to be a hero

Run like a boy, ride like a boy
Talk like a boy, eat like a boy

When I was just a little girl,
I wanted to be something else

Soar like a bird, creep like a cat
Chirp like a bird, purr like a cat

Yes, we once were just little ones,
each one of us had happy dreams.

和文：

　 　 soar ・・・ 空高く舞い上がる
　 　 creep ・・・ 忍び足で歩く
　 　 chirp ・・・ さえずる
　 　 purr ・・・ のどを鳴らす

投稿文：
　When I was a little girl,
　I wanted to be a hero

　Run like a boy, ride like a boy,
　Talk like a boy, eat like a boy

　When I was just a little girl,
　I wanted to be something else

　Like a bird I can fly, Like a bird I can twitter,
　Like a cat I can creep, Like a cat I can purr

　Yes, we once were just little girls,
　each one of us had happy dreams.

掲載文：

　My childhood dream was to be a sushi chef because I loved (and still loves) sushi the most.
　If I can make sushi, I can have it whenever I want.
　This idea sounds wonderful to me and to my mother as well.
　My mother is also awfully fond of sushi, so she would surely be happy if I were a sushi chef.
　I still want to learn how to make sushi, and I am planning to take lessons after retirement to fulfill my dream.

和文：

　私の子供の頃の夢は寿司職人になることでした。なぜなら私はお寿司が大好物だからです。もしお寿司を作る事が出来たら、自分の好きな時に食べられる。そんな夢みたいな話しが実現出来るんです。私の母もお寿司狂なので、喜ぶこと間違いないでしょう。私は今でも寿司の作り方を学びたいと思っており、退職後は寿司職人となるべく勉強する予定です。

　 　 sushi chef ・・・ 寿司職人
　 　 awfully ・・・ とても、非常に（口語的表現）
　 　 fond of 〜 ・・・ 〜が気に入っている
　 　 retirement ・・・ 退職

投稿文：
　My childhood dream is to be a sushi chef because I love sushi the best. If I would be able to cook sushi, I can have sushi whenever I want. It sounds amazing for me and for my mother. My mother is also obsessed by sushi so she would be appreciate it. I still want to be able to cook it so I'll take lessons for that after retirement.

掲載文：

　I remember I wrote in my third grade essay that I would be a cartoonist when I turned 30 years old.
　Unfortunately, when I was 20, I realized that I could not draw pictures better than others even though my college major was design.

和文：

　小学校3年生の時の作文で、30歳になったときに漫画家になっていると書いたのを覚えいています。けれども、20歳の時に、大学でデザイン科を専攻したにも関わらず、他人より上手く絵が描けないと気づいた。

　 　 essay ・・・ 作文
　 　 cartoonist ・・・ 漫画家
　 　 realize ・・・ はっきりと理解する
　 　 major ・・・ 専攻

投稿文：
　I did not have a special dream as a child, however, when I was third grade student, I remember I wrote that I would like to become cartoon writer when I turns 30 years old. Unfortunately, I noticed I could not draw a better picture than others when I was 20 years old even though my university's major was design.

掲載文：

　My mother was very strict about what drinks to give to her children, and I was not allowed to drink any sweet juice.
　I always wished if I turned on a faucet, sweet juice instead of tap water would flow from it.

和文：

　うちの母は子どもの飲みものに厳しかったので、私はいつも、水道からジュースが出てきたらいいのに、と夢見ていました。

　 　 faucet ・・・ 蛇口
　 　 turn on ・・・ 蛇口を開ける
　 　 tap water ・・・ 水道水

投稿文：
　In my childhood, my mother was so strict that I was not allowed to drink any juice. So, I always wished if I turned on the faucet, the juice, in place of normal water, would flew.