Do French and Eskimo moms know better?
Crisis of confidence in American parenting? Final reaches of globalization? Marketing gimmick? Whatever it is, in America, parenting has gone global.
Just as we鈥檝e extinguished the final flames from the firestorm that was Amy Chua鈥檚 鈥�Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,鈥� which extolled the virtues of high-expectation Asian parenting, comes another foreign parenting manual, this one from France.
It鈥檚 called 鈥淏ringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting.鈥� In it, author Pamela Druckerman, an American writer who moved to Paris with her British husband 10 years ago and has since had three children, describes the Gallic method of parenting, which may be 鈥渢he perfect foil for the current problems in American parenting.鈥�
鈥淭hey assume that even good parents aren鈥檛 at the constant service of their children, and that there鈥檚 no need to feel guilty about this,鈥� Druckerman writes in her book, which hit shelves Tuesday. 鈥淲hile some American toddlers are getting Mandarin tutors and preliteracy training, French kids are 鈥� by design 鈥� toddling around by themselves.鈥�
According to Druckerman, la m猫re fran莽aise preaches the importance of fixed meal times (complete with salad and cheese courses) and banishes snacks. They rarely breast-feed for more than a few weeks, happily put their children in state-run daycares while they resume normal routines, and typically let children cry themselves back to sleep at night.
It鈥檚 a method calls 鈥渁 combination of unyielding expectations and an insouciant, hands-off approach.鈥� French parents, , 鈥渁re determined to counter the squalor and disorder of life with small children and preserve the 鈥榬ights鈥� of parents to enjoy adult existence."
Of course, French women don鈥檛 get fat and they know how to raise good children, but if you鈥檙e not content to be a Tiger-M猫re, there鈥檚 always 鈥�How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm.鈥�
This delightful book by Mei-Ling Hopgood explores parenting customs from around the world, from allowing children to stay up late in Argentina to letting schoolkids 鈥渇ight it out鈥� in Japan to allowing children to play by themselves in Polynesia. Hopgood speaks with physicians and parenting professionals to back up the efficacy of the sometimes unexpected parenting customs, many of which run counter to traditional American parenting wisdom 鈥� and bring surprising results.
Tiger Mother and Chic Maman don鈥檛 know everything about parenting, but we鈥檙e thinking a little international influence can鈥檛 hurt. What鈥檚 next? We鈥檙e envisioning a new and revised 鈥淲hat to Expect When You鈥檙e Expecting 鈥� Global Edition.鈥�
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
Join the Monitor's book discussion on and .
