Many Good Things

This blog is my favorite pinterest find this week:  One Good Thing. It is FULL of good things.  Good ideas for cooking, cleaning, organizing, shopping....things resourceful, things homemade, things cheap, things creative.  I like.

parenting

Despite the annoyingly-catch-your-eye-title, this article was good:

"Why French Parents Are Superior" from the WSJ 

I'd recommend reading it, and watching the video in the middle of it that expands on the ideas, if you're into that sort of thing.....  

En bref: it's written by an American mom living in France, who noticed that French children did not act like American children. She began to study the differences, find that other such studies had been done, and she wrote a book.  I think it'd be an interesting read.

I'll highlight the differences.  The French parents view themselves as authorities. {Crazy concept, no?  Apparently American parents do not.} They see their role as establishing a frame with firm boundaries where their children have freedom within.  French parents place a higher value [than American parents] on
- teaching delayed gratification  (learning to wait, patience, etc...)
- independent play (connected to...)
- adult time
- trying all kinds of food
I'm sure the book has more.  She wrote nicely, and I think it would be an éclairante et agréable read.

The ideas aren't revolutionary, and I think they follow biblical values.  But perhaps the majority of American parents won't accept these values on the basis of them being "Christian", but would be willing to try them as "French"?  Hmmm.