The Secret to French Parenting
“Bringing Up Bébé” could have offered a complementary view of the link between public policy and social norms. But instead Druckerman largely trails off, providing a series of loose observations that fall somewhere between snarky (“Moms do get a bit fatter as you get farther from central Paris”) and Martha Stewart-y (“We have a collection of colorful melamine plates. But for dinner I use white, which makes the colors of the food pop”). That’s too bad, as the spirited reception for a book like “Bébé” attests to a wish for guidance on behalf of American mothers, and the real need for change in how America handles issues like maternity leave, daycare, and public education. The lack of support for mothers in American society, Warner discerns, engenders an entrenched sense of anxiety and that often leads to “hyper parenting.” Without a cadre, or frame, for childhood, many American mothers feel like they are flying blind and solo—resulting in a kind of perfectionist despair. Fatigued, American parents look overseas for the solution, but just may discover that no amount of French or Chinese will sufficiently change anything.
- On our Book Bench blog, Ruth Margalit writes about the latest book to claim child-rearing superiority: “Bringing Up Bébé”: http://nyr.kr/yKfw5P
