French children: enfants, but not terrible

French parenting, praised in Pamela Druckerman's new book, is easily mocked – but strict rules create rebellious mind

Agnès Poirier
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 22 January 2012 21.00 GMT

There is nothing like seeing yourself through the eyes of a foreigner. Cross-cultural literature, at its best, offers a mirror to peer and gape at in awe or disbelief. It can also be an occasion for cheap point-scoring. It seems that Pamela Druckerman's latest book, French Children Don't Throw Food, has achieved both. In championing French parenting over the "anglophone" way, she has triggered a heavy artillery backlash. Coy French parents, embarrassed by such praise, and Anglo-Saxon expats in France have been quick to retaliate. If you think the French way is great, think again, they say: you haven't seen its dark side.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/enfants-not-terrible-french-parenting?fb=optOut