I Wish All My Day Care Kids Were French!

[Meeko]

Interesting article......................

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577196931457473816.html#mod=djemWMP

[Hunni Bee]

I think I wanna find that book and read it.

[Sunchimes]

I just wish all of my parents were French!::

[CheekyChick]

I wish my parents would READ this book!!! I think over half of my DCK's could greatly use some "education." LOL!!!

[Heidi]

I moved here from Germany at 3. In Germany, children are raised in a very similar way to the French. By the time my sister and I were 3 or 4, my parents could take us to any fancy restaurant (and they did) and expect us to eat like young ladies. Knife in one hand, fork in the other "continental style."

My sister and I have raised our own children similarly. We have often remarked, when we've had all our children together "Do you realized there are 7 children in this house?" Sometimes, it shocks even us...

Now my daycare kids, on the other hand....


I have to say, though, it is this particular group that has me frustrated. The group of kids I had 10 years ago were awesome. We ate our meals together, and I even had them saying "Bon Apetit" or "Guten Apetit" before they ate. Obviously, "table manners" isn't everything, but the general atmosphere with that group of children was just plain more peaceful!


This artcle pretty much touches on everything we providers vent on this site about. Many of the children we care for now don't play independently, don't respect authority, and don't respect our homes. We watch them walk all over their parents and then spend our days undoing those behaviors, just to start over again the next day.

There are always the exceptions, of course...

[Sunchimes]

My sister and I were raised the same way--or at least with the same results. My mom took us everywhere and we never acted out. We went to restaurants, and while we weren't adventurous eaters--you could almost always get spaghetti. We went to someone's house, she said sit, we sat. And we stayed. We talked to each other and the grown-ups, and if there were other kids, we played, but we didn't throw fits in stores, we rode public buses, we rode Greyhound buses for the long trip to see my grandparents, and no one ever wanted to throw us off the bus.

We were expected to behave, we were raised with those expectations, and we did it. We weren't perfect kids by any means, but we weren't brats. My sister raised my nephew the same way, and he could go anywhere!