What I was expecting was another pat, self-help-section miracle solution to everyone's parenting woes type of book (the endorsement by and comparison to French Women Don't Get Fat wasn't helping).

I love how the French teach their children the importance of Bonjour, Merci, Au Revior, as well as how they introduce them to food and get them involved in the kitchen.I found myself feeling very sorry for French chilren who seem to be starved of affection because the "cadre" says so. When she had her daughter in France, she was struck -- repeatedly, and at many levels -- at the difference between French and American children. Other major takeaways touch on the emphasis the French put on establishing a "cadre" or framework of discipline and responsibility for their children; the importance of manners (it's not just please and thank you but hello and goodbye for the French); instilling a child's independence (ie, not hovering over them on the playground) and teaching them how to behave at the dinner table, all the while eating food that vastly trumps our "chicken tenders friendly" U. These women were largely career-oriented professionals who were in that class of 'super mum' - the result of feminism selling out to a macho society?

After the intro chapter, I start reading the first chapter, in which she seems to endlessly talk about her job layoff, how her relationship with her "swarthy" British boyfriend/husband started, and how they ended up living in Paris. There are far too many references to one extreme example of American parenting gone wrong and far too many examples of a few observations of French parenting gone right. Andere Punkte wie "Nein heißt nein", "Ich habe das Sagen" und "Wenn ein Baby schreit, soll man es nicht sofort hochheben, sondern es zuerst beobachten, um herauszufinden, warum es schreit" sind Grundregeln zahlreicher Erziehungsansätze. It can be extremely disorienting when the Big Person is acting nervous about something - no matter what their words actually are, the tone is everything.But because Americans are so quick to jump in and intervene, it's a key reason why they set their children up to be unable to sleep through the night at 8, 9 or 10 months old.