French parents: Superior to others?

Now here is a piece, somewhat surprisingly from The Wall Street Journal, almost certain to generate controversy and a wee bit of French bashing. The thesis of the article?......

"While Americans fret over modern parenthood, the French are raising happy, well-behaved children without all the anxiety. Pamela Druckerman on the Gallic secrets for avoiding tantrums, teaching patience and saying 'non' with authority".

The author writes:

"I'm hardly the first to point out that middle-class America has a parenting problem. This problem has been painstakingly diagnosed, critiqued and named: overparenting, hyperparenting, helicopter parenting, and my personal favorite, the kindergarchy. Nobody seems to like the relentless, unhappy pace of American parenting, least of all parents themselves.

Of course, the French have all kinds of public services that help to make having kids more appealing and less stressful. Parents don't have to pay for preschool, worry about health insurance or save for college. Many get monthly cash allotments—wired directly into their bank accounts—just for having kids."

Read the complete piece, here - and vent your spleen, let off steam against the French....or whatever!

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Mahler's Prodigal Son

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