Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (旁观者) in the lives of their children and shrug, "It' s their life," and feel nothing?

    When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son's head. I was asked, "When do you stop worrying?" A nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

    When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted (打断) the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry. They all go through this stage, and then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy them." My mother listened and said nothing.

    When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring and the cars to come home, the front door to open.

    My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother' s wan ( 淡淡的 ) smile and her occasional words, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home."

    Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse? Or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?

    One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I've been calling for three days, and no one answered. I was worried!!!"

    I smiled a wan smile.

    Princeton University is a vibrant (充满生机的) university. It is the fourth oldest college in the United States and an independent institution that provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. As a well-known research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels in the discovery and spread of knowledge and understanding. At the same time, Princeton is different among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching.

    Academics

    Faculty (教员), including full time, part time and visiting: 1,238 (spring 2016)

Undergraduate student-to-faculty rate: 5:1

    Departments: 36

    Schools within the University: School of Architecture, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

    Library

    Princeton University Library consists of the Firestone Library and nine buildings across campus. The library's collections include more than 8 million books and impressive rare books, prints and other materials that require special handling. The library's extensive electronic resources include databases and journals, images and digital maps. Exhibitions of the library are free and open to the general public.

    Campus Life

    A vast range of cultural9 educational, athletic and social activities are available to Princeton students. Getting involved in campus life is the quickest way to become a part of the University community, and to create one's own Princeton experience. Campus life activities are built around the concepts of encouraging each community member to display his or her talents and to learn to respect all members of our community.

    Aid Program

    Our aid program is designed to encourage all qualified students—regardless of financial circumstances-to consider applying for admission to Princeton. Any family who feels they may need help to pay for a Princeton education is welcome to apply for aid.

    For more information, please visit: http://www. Princeton.edu.

    This is my son Matthew's last night at home before college. I know that this is good news. I feel proud that Matthew will go to a great school. I know that this is finest hour. But looking at the suitcases on his bed sends me out of the room to a hidden corner where I can't stop crying.

    Through the sorrow, I feel a rising embarrassment. "Pull yourself together!" I tell myself. There are parents sending their kids off to battle zones. How dare I feel so shocked and upset?

    One of the great gifts of my life has been having my boys, Matthew and Johnowen. Through them, I have explored the mysterious, complicated bond between fathers and sons. As my wife and I raised them, I have discovered the love and loss between my father and me. After my parents' divorce，I spent weekends with my dad in Ohio. By the time Sunday came around, I was unable to enjoy the day's activities because I was already afraid of the goodbye of the evening.

    Now，standing among Matthew's accumulation of possessions, I realize it's me who has become a boy again. All my sadness and longing to hold on to things are back, sweeping over me as they did when I was a child.

    His bed is tidy and spare. It already has the feel of a guest bed. In my mind I replay wrapping him in his favorite blanket. That was our nightly routine until one evening he said," Daddy, I don't think I need a blanket tonight." I think of all the times we lay among the covers reading. I look at the bed and think of all the recent times I was annoyed at how late he was sleeping. I'll never have to worry about that again, I realize.

    For his part, Matthew has been a rock. He is treating his leaving as just another day at the office. And I'm glad. After all, someone's got to be strong. I'm proud that he is charging into the first chapter of his adult life with such confidence.

    Being a volunteer brings me happiness. I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick animals can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.

    I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2­ to 3­week­old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.

    I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could find the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to build a nest and settle it in a tree.

    The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine（松树） branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.

    Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.

    A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had answered to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all—LUNCH！ The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.

    Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person. Feeling down？Consider these things to remember when you're having a bad day.

    No one promised life would be perfect. If you look for perfection, you'll never be content. Don't condition your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself. It is good to be ambitious，but you'll never be perfect. If you expect otherwise, your life will be filled with disappointments.

    Success doesn't happen overnight. Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. Don't kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly. It isn't easy to be patient，but anything worth doing requires time. If you get frustrated, remind yourself why your goal is important.

    There is a lesson in every struggle. And once the storm is over，you won't remember how you made it through or how you managed to survive. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about. Don't complain about how terrible your life is. If you search for the lesson in your present struggle, you'll be able to make positive changes that would prevent similar situations in the future.

    Without hard times, you wouldn't appreciate the good ones. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to give in, that is strength. It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail, but how else would you improve yourself？If you look at failure as a part of your evolutionary process, you'll stay positive and pursue your goals for as long as it takes.

    BKLYN House Hotel

    This hotel features works by Brooklyn artists. The 116 rooms are of good value—Manhattan is only 20 minutes away by taxi or subway. The immediate surroundings feel urban—the hotel is by a high-rise public housing project while the nearest commercial street is under elevated subway tracks—but Bushwick's best bars and cafes/restaurants are nearby.

    Doubles from $99, room only. Tel：718 388 4433

    Archer Hotel

    Visitors eager to stay in the heart of Manhattan should try one of the bargain-priced rooms at this hotel. Rates vary from great value to expensive; some start from as low as $179 a night (if prepaying in full). Rooms are small but tasteful, with nice touches such as exposed brick. Some have close-up views of the Empire State Building.

    Doubles from $199, room only. Tel: 212 719 4100

    Pod 39 Hotel

    In an elegant brick building in Manhattan's Murray Hill, this excellent budget option opened following the success of its sister hotel, The Pod. The rooms are called pods given their small size and may not suit everyone. But with prices among the most competitive in Manhattan, budgeters will be happy.

    Doubles from $95, room only. Tel：212 865 5700

    CitizenM New York Times Square

    This is the first US location for a Netherlands-based concept hotel chain—CitizenM. The hotel features self check-in at its 230 little but comfortable rooms via touch screen “MoodPads”. There's a rooftop bar, a 24-hour grab-and-go cafeteria and an area with public iMac workspaces. Although New Yorkers avoid nearby Times Square, all the lights, cameras and action can make it a fun tourist experience.

    Doubles from $170, room only. Tel：212 319 7000