Amazon

The secret behind France's astonishingly well-behaved children.

When American journalist Pamela Druckerman has a baby in Paris, shedoesn't aspire to become a "French parent." French parenting isn't aknown thing, like French fashion or French cheese. Even French parentsthemselves insist they aren't doing anything special.

Yet, the French children Druckerman knows sleep through the nightat two or three months old while those of her American friends take ayear or more. French kids eat well-rounded meals that are more likelyto include braised leeks than chicken nuggets. And while her Americanfriends spend their visits resolving spats between their kids, herFrench friends sip coffee while the kids play.

Motherhood itself is a whole different experience in France. There'sno role model, as there is in America, for the harried new mom with nolife of her own. French mothers assume that even good parents aren't atthe constant service of their children and that there's no need to feelguilty about this. They have an easy, calm authority with their kidsthat Druckerman can only envy.

Of course, French parenting wouldn't be worth talking about if itproduced robotic, joyless children. In fact, French kids are just asboisterous, curious, and creative as Americans. They're just far betterbehaved and more in command of themselves. While some American toddlersare getting Mandarin tutors and preliteracy training, French kids are- by design-toddling around and discovering the world at their own pace.

With a notebook stashed in her diaper bag, Druckerman-a formerreporter for The Wall Street Journal-sets out to learn thesecrets to raising a society of good little sleepers, gourmet eaters,and reasonably relaxed parents. She discovers that French parents areextremely strict about some things and strikingly permissive aboutothers. And she realizes that to be a different kind of parent, youdon't just need a different parenting philosophy. You need a verydifferent view of what a child actually is.