Bringing Up Bébé

One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

By Pamela Druckerman

Just started this. So far the writing style is very accessible and fairly engaging and it has some useful ways to think about parenting from the French perspective.

This is far from a scientific study, but one woman's perspective based on what she personally sees from French parents in Paris. (She does occassionally cite some studies to back up her observations.) That said, being told to just give yourself as a break and don't freak out over every little thing is probably sage advice regardless of the source.

It does have me wondering why American parents tend to fret more. Is it our Puritan roots? Do we like being the center of attention (sacrifice, play the mother martyr to get attention and accolades)? An over-active media that's constantly hyping bad news to scare us into clicks (like the dreaded annual Halloween candy killer)? Or hyper capitalism that feeds the fear so that we buy gadgets and remedies to mitigate the risks?

On the other hand, maybe this book is so compelling because damn, if I'm pregnant I'll still want to eat blue cheese and drink the occasional glass of wine. Getting permission to do so would be nice so you can always point a finger should something go awry.

432 pages

Published Jun 8, 2016 by Penguin Books

Family & Relationships - Parenting - Motherhood

Biography & Autobiography - Women