They went in and they saw Mrs Cratchit. She was laying the table. Belinda Cratchit, her second eldest daughter, was helping her.

The two smaller Cratchits, a boy and a girl, came running in. “We smelt our goose at the baker’s” they shouted and they danced around the table.

“Where’s your father?” said Mrs Cratchit. “And your brother, Tiny Tim! And Martha wasn’t as late as this last Christmas Day!”

“Here I am, mother!” said a girl in the door way. “You are very late” said Mrs Cratchit, kissing her a dozen times.

“We had a lot of work to finish last night.” replied the girl, “and I had to clear up this morning, Mother!”

“Well, never mind! You are here now,” said Mrs Cratchit.

“Father’s coming,” cried the two young Cratchits.

In came Bob Cratchit in his threadbare(破旧的) clothes. Tiny Tim sat on his shoulder. Poor Tiny Tim! He couldn’t walk without crutches.

The two young Cratchits took Tiny Tim to the wash-house, to see the Christmas pudding.

“And how did little Tim behave in church?” asked Mrs Cratchit.

“He was as good as gold,” said Bob, “But sometimes he says the strangest things. He said to me, on the way home, ‘I hope that everybody in church saw me because I am disabled. I want them to remember this on Christmas Day. God made lame beggars walk. And he made blind men see.’”

—A Christmas Carol

When I was in Grade Three, I thought I just needed to study. My parents would do all the housework. I often threw my things on the bed and sofa, so our house was always in a mess.

One day, when my mother came home after work and found a lot of rubbish in our house, she was so angry. She said to me seriously, “You must do some housework every day from now on.” At first, I didn’t think it is fair for me to do that. However, I followed what my mother said.

After a few days, I understood that doing housework was harder than I had imagined. How hard my parents were! They had to do a lot of housework after work, so I must help them much more at home. I tried to do different kinds of housework in my house, so they could have a good rest when they got home. I’m proud of my change.

We children should not always rely on (依赖) our parents too much. Learn to do housework by ourselves, and it will help us a lot when we live alone.