French Parenting

This blog is significantly overdue. I have failed at blogging. It's no surprise- I get busy, I work, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is use my brain. I have a lot of things to update you all on, so I will TRY to do a post a day until I get caught up. Again, my apologies, but we all knew this was going to happen...

So, I'm not a mom, and I have no intention of having a child anytime soon. I do, however, enjoy learning about parenting tips. Anytime I see a child acting out in public, I think to myself, "my child will never act like that child." I know you all are saying, "yeah right, it's not that easy." I'm with ya...I've had my share of crazy nannying experiences, but one can't help but dream their child will be perfect and well-behaved.

I read this book by Pamela Druckerman called Bringing Up Bebe. It's a great read that takes a look at French parenting. Who would have thought the snooty French-folk raised good babies? Not this gal. My eyes were opened to French approaches to discipline, sleep schedules, losing weight after childbirth, etc. Now I know there is no way I can adhere to all of these ideologies when I'm ready to have kids, but there were quite a few things that stood out to me. It's interesting because I think a lot of these were things my parents tried to do with me (I say tried because I was a pretty stubborn kid). I think my parents did a pretty good job, being American and all, so if I can take what they did and perfect it, my kids should be perfect angels, right?

Anywho, below are some of the tips that struck a chord with me:

· Parents should not hold, rock or nurse a baby to sleep in the evenings, in order to help him learn the difference between day and night. If the baby cries between midnight and 5 AM, parents should re-swaddle, pat, rediaper, or walk the baby around, but the mother should offer milk only if the baby continues crying after that.

· The best way to make a child happy is to frustrate him. That doesn’t mean that you prevent him from playing, or that you avoid hugging him. One must of course respect his tastes, his rhythms and his individuality. It’s simply that the child must learn, from a very young age, that he’s not alone in the world, and that there’s a time for everything.

· Kids are expected to order from the adult menu; parents do not allow their kids to eat just one type of food. Children do not get to exclude whole categories of foods because of textures, colors, and nutrients just because they want to.

· Speak firmly to your child your expectations, and present new rules as if they have always existed

I would definitely recommend this book interested in parenting techniques. While the lessons may not be easily applied, I think there is something to be said for the structure and expectations that are established for these kids. I know because I don't have kids, my opinion probably doesn't have any merit, but I definitely think the book is worth a glance!