Although I'm not necessarily planning on having kids right this second (although I'm not counting it out...), I still found this enlightening and fascinating. The book itself was easy to read, and enjoyed her writing style. I admit I just got back from almost two weeks in Europe/France, and loved the vibe and culture. In helping to understand how French kids are raised, maybe I can incorporate some of that vibe and culture into my life. I made a lot of similar observations to the author here: French kids don't throw food, could sit through a multi-course meal in a restaurant, aren't overweight, and though they seemed to run ahead to the end of the street on their own, they didn't seem to be in danger of running away or running into the street itself. This book sheds some light on why these kids seemed to be so well-behaved. Though it's aimed at child-rearing, there's plenty of advice and wisdom to incorporate into our childfree life (curb the snacking, be patient, time take to take pleasure in things). When we do have kids, this is the type of parent I would want to be. I'll have to read it again when that happens!

Although I'm not necessarily planning on having kids right this second (although I'm not counting it out...), I still found this enlightening and fascinating. The book itself was easy to read, and enjoyed her writing style. I admit I just got back from almost two weeks in Europe/France, and loved the vibe and culture. In helping to understand how French kids are raised, maybe I can incorporate some of that vibe and culture into my life. I made a lot of similar observations to the author here: French kids don't throw food, could sit through a multi-course meal in a restaurant, aren't overweight, and though they seemed to run ahead to the end of the street on their own, they didn't seem to be in danger of running away or running into the street itself. This book sheds some light on why these kids seemed to be so well-behaved. Though it's aimed at child-rearing, there's plenty of advice and wisdom to incorporate into our childfree life (curb the snacking, be patient, time take to take pleasure in things). When we do have kids, this is the type of parent I would want to be. I'll have to read it again when that happens!