Bringing up Bébé Book Review

Just finished what I thought was a super-interesting read. I finally got to my turn in line at the library, so here goes!

Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think people who are all upset and think Druckerman is another fawning Francophile have actually not read her words. That said...

I very much enjoyed this book from a sociological perspective. The French are different from us. They have different ways of parenting, for better or for worse, that we can learn from, just as in any culture different from ours. It is actually very interesting and refreshing to realize the myriad ways that we raise our children that just seem "correct" that are actually simply cultural.

I personally think my child and I will benefit from the paradigm shift from "modifying behavior" and "punishment" ideas, to the "education" thought process that Druckerman shares. When you think about the fact that you are simply giving your child an education in how to live life and be a functioning person in society, it takes a lot of the anger out of discipline. I feel, as the author professed to be, more calm when I think about parenting and correction this way.

The way you raise your children is very, very personal, and people make different choices all the time. It just can't hurt to have a more global, informed perspective, in my view! I enjoyed this book for what it was, a study on French parenting...NOT a universal guidebook on parenting.


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