Family & Relationships.
Nonfiction.
Humor (Nonfiction.)
HTML:"Presented with a touch of humor and spot-on descriptions of childhood (mis)behavior, the advice, which touches on such topics as breastfeeding and school participation, is practical and useful. A refreshing approach to raising children."--Kirkus Reviews "[A] charming and clever parenting chronicle . . . Though some may prefer their naughty kids just the way they are, this breezy, entertaining study of parenting a la Paris may prompt others to pour a café au lait and rethink their strategies.".
HTML:"French Twist describes an open-minded experiment in French-style parenting (though apparently there's not even a French word for parenting!) and reveals itself as an honest examination of the author's own missteps and prejudices--which we all can relate to--and the whole overparenting trend in this country. Are Catherine Crawford's conclusions 'French'? Who cares? They're immensely logical and rational, and delivered with an abundance of love."--Muffy Mead-Ferro, author of Confessions of a Slacker Mom "Ever seen a French child throw a tantrum in a restaurant or talk back to his parents? Neither has Catherine Crawford. In French Twist she uncovers the secrets of French child-rearing--and then tries them out on her own family, with remarkable results. Part memoir, part instruction manual, French Twist is hilarious, honest, and incredibly useful."--Lori Leibovich, executive lifestyle editor of The Huffington Post "Catherine Crawford has written a great parenting book. I can't wait to have kids and apply all I have learned here. Wait--hold on. I'm being told I already have two kids. This is incredible news! I will begin applying immediately.".
HTML:
Adventures in Franco-inspired American parenting--a winning mix of witty cross-cultural observation, hilariously blunt French wisdom, and one American mom's journey to create her own hybrid parenting approach
"If there is no blood, don't get up." This single nugget of parenting gold, offered by a French friend at the end of a long dinner party, changed everything for writer Catherine Crawford, her husband, and, especially, the couple's two young daughters. Crawford immediately began to see that while the United States had become the land of too-involved parents forever wanting to talk through their kids' feelings about, well, everything, France employed a far more laissez-faire attitude toward raising les enfants. Learning to sleep through the night? A few tears never hurt anyone. Food? Let them eat cake, sure, but only after they've sampled lamb chops, broccoli rabe, and the stinkiest of cheeses.
Short of shipping her daughters off to Paris for these--and many other--invaluable early-life lessons, Crawford did the next best thing: She brought Old World--style parenting to Brooklyn. In the process, she discovered that her kids could actually hold a thought silently for two minutes without interrupting adult conversation, and that she didn't, in fact, need to buy out half the toy store to make their birthdays special. She even found out how much her kids like lamb chops! While combining the best attributes of the approach français with what she saw as American qualities worth preserving, Crawford found a way to save her household and her sanity. Hilarious and insightful, French Twist reveals how Crawford and her family survived le grand experiment--and why they aren't ever going back to the way things were.
Advance praise for French Twist
"Presented with a touch of humor and spot-on descriptions of childhood (mis)behavior, the advice, which touches on such topics as breastfeeding and school participation, is practical and useful. A refreshing approach to raising children."--Kirkus Reviews
"[A] charming and clever parenting chronicle . . . Though some may prefer their naughty kids just the way they are, this breezy, entertaining study of parenting a la Paris may prompt others to pour a café au lait and rethink their strategies."--Publishers Weekly
"French Twist describes an open-minded experiment in French-style parenting (though apparently there's not even a French word for parenting!) and reveals itself as an honest examination of the author's own missteps and prejudices--which we all can relate to--and the whole overparenting trend in this country. Are Catherine Crawford's conclusions 'French'? Who cares? They're immensely logical and rational, and delivered with an abundance of love."--Muffy Mead-Ferro, author of Confessions of a Slacker Mom
"Ever seen a French child throw a tantrum in a restaurant or talk back to his parents? Neither has Catherine Crawford. In French Twist she uncovers the secrets of French child-rearing--and then tries them out on her own family, with remarkable results. Part memoir, part instruction manual, French Twist is hilarious, honest, and incredibly useful."--Lori Leibovich, executive lifestyle editor of The Huffington Post
"Catherine Crawford has written a great parenting book. I can't wait to have kids and apply all I have learned here. Wait--hold on. I'm being told I already have two kids. This is incredible news! I will begin applying immediately."--Adam Scott, actor, Parks and Recreation
This is a delightful read, presenting lots of ideas about lifestyle and good manners to ponder. It is pointed out there are several ways American children seem to be missing the mark for acceptable behavior and appreciation for life's little pleasures. A social evaluation threading thru the book allows you to see that we are not really as up on this as we could be. It gives pause for thought. One can't help thinking there is a better way to raise children and specifically teach them about the pleasures of a more refined lifestyle. When Ms. Crawford lines our habits up next to the French, I am almost embarassed for myself. I have resolved to change a few things. I have also decided that while every parent can use advice to ponder, not everyone has all the answers. No one is perfect. Happily, Crawford is not afraid to own up to this and she posts a list of what the French might learn from the Americans. I was glad to see that. It gives us permission to be satisfied with our ways of doing things as well. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a bit of help in settling into the parenting role. It helps to read about this other adored culture. Then it's good to give it some thought and consideration. And also give yourself some credit for doing a good job. ( )
French Twist was interesting enough (and short enough) that I finished it in four days. Considering my lack of reading time with two young children this is fairly amazing.
At first I was a bit put off by Crawford's tone that implied all French children were absolutely perfect and all American children were little monsters. Of course the reason I picked up the book was in hopes of some tips for how to handle my daughters but her enthusiasm for all things French was a bit daunting. This idea was tempered a bit later on in the book as she admitted a few French parenting ideas that she didn't hold in such high regard and that her own brand of parenting was more a French-American hybrid rather than going completely native.
I was dismayed when Crawford started off talking about pregnancy and the French way of preparing for the baby. While this is probably relevant to examining the French culture in regard to children, I didn't see it having much to do with Crawford's experiment in treating her family in the French manner. All it seemed to do was reveal her completely neurotic tendencies during her own pregnancies and allow her to express regret for starting her children off in the American fashion.
What I had hoped to get out of this book were some ideas on a different parenting approach. I wanted concrete suggestions that I could implement with my children. While there were a few of those at the end of the book, the majority of the book contained sweeping generalizations without specific examples. Crawford would go on and on about how well behaved the children of her French friends were while almost being unable to put her finger on the parenting approach that led to this behavior. She gushed at how much improvement she has seen in the behavior of her own children but gave very little insight into how her parenting method changed beyond simply becoming more strict.
I realize that documenting every single parenting example would make for a long and boring book but I wish there had been a better balance between practical, usable information and the philosophic presentation on how French parents are successful while American parents are failing. ( )
Really a fun read. Makes you wonder how American parents have fallen so far away from a common-sense-normal in child rearing. Love the author's self deprecating humor about herself and her family, the girls sound like real cut-ups! ( )
A great premise with a less-than-great followthrough. The ideas in here are ones that I can get behind (does every participant really need a crappy plastic statue?) but, after the first few examples, it felt a bit repetitive. That doesn't make the ideas any less true but I don't know that you need to read the whole book in order to get what she is putting forth. ( )
I won "French Twist" on Library Thing. My children are all grown, but I really enjoyed this book. A lot of what the French do makes sense. It was fun to hear how Catherine implemented some of their ways. ( )
Family & Relationships.
Nonfiction.
Humor (Nonfiction.)
HTML:"Presented with a touch of humor and spot-on descriptions of childhood (mis)behavior, the advice, which touches on such topics as breastfeeding and school participation, is practical and useful. A refreshing approach to raising children."--Kirkus Reviews "[A] charming and clever parenting chronicle . . . Though some may prefer their naughty kids just the way they are, this breezy, entertaining study of parenting a la Paris may prompt others to pour a café au lait and rethink their strategies.".
HTML:"French Twist describes an open-minded experiment in French-style parenting (though apparently there's not even a French word for parenting!) and reveals itself as an honest examination of the author's own missteps and prejudices--which we all can relate to--and the whole overparenting trend in this country. Are Catherine Crawford's conclusions 'French'? Who cares? They're immensely logical and rational, and delivered with an abundance of love."--Muffy Mead-Ferro, author of Confessions of a Slacker Mom "Ever seen a French child throw a tantrum in a restaurant or talk back to his parents? Neither has Catherine Crawford. In French Twist she uncovers the secrets of French child-rearing--and then tries them out on her own family, with remarkable results. Part memoir, part instruction manual, French Twist is hilarious, honest, and incredibly useful."--Lori Leibovich, executive lifestyle editor of The Huffington Post "Catherine Crawford has written a great parenting book. I can't wait to have kids and apply all I have learned here. Wait--hold on. I'm being told I already have two kids. This is incredible news! I will begin applying immediately.".
HTML:
Adventures in Franco-inspired American parenting--a winning mix of witty cross-cultural observation, hilariously blunt French wisdom, and one American mom's journey to create her own hybrid parenting approach
"If there is no blood, don't get up." This single nugget of parenting gold, offered by a French friend at the end of a long dinner party, changed everything for writer Catherine Crawford, her husband, and, especially, the couple's two young daughters. Crawford immediately began to see that while the United States had become the land of too-involved parents forever wanting to talk through their kids' feelings about, well, everything, France employed a far more laissez-faire attitude toward raising les enfants. Learning to sleep through the night? A few tears never hurt anyone. Food? Let them eat cake, sure, but only after they've sampled lamb chops, broccoli rabe, and the stinkiest of cheeses.
Short of shipping her daughters off to Paris for these--and many other--invaluable early-life lessons, Crawford did the next best thing: She brought Old World--style parenting to Brooklyn. In the process, she discovered that her kids could actually hold a thought silently for two minutes without interrupting adult conversation, and that she didn't, in fact, need to buy out half the toy store to make their birthdays special. She even found out how much her kids like lamb chops! While combining the best attributes of the approach français with what she saw as American qualities worth preserving, Crawford found a way to save her household and her sanity. Hilarious and insightful, French Twist reveals how Crawford and her family survived le grand experiment--and why they aren't ever going back to the way things were.
Advance praise for French Twist
"Presented with a touch of humor and spot-on descriptions of childhood (mis)behavior, the advice, which touches on such topics as breastfeeding and school participation, is practical and useful. A refreshing approach to raising children."--Kirkus Reviews
"[A] charming and clever parenting chronicle . . . Though some may prefer their naughty kids just the way they are, this breezy, entertaining study of parenting a la Paris may prompt others to pour a café au lait and rethink their strategies."--Publishers Weekly
"French Twist describes an open-minded experiment in French-style parenting (though apparently there's not even a French word for parenting!) and reveals itself as an honest examination of the author's own missteps and prejudices--which we all can relate to--and the whole overparenting trend in this country. Are Catherine Crawford's conclusions 'French'? Who cares? They're immensely logical and rational, and delivered with an abundance of love."--Muffy Mead-Ferro, author of Confessions of a Slacker Mom
"Ever seen a French child throw a tantrum in a restaurant or talk back to his parents? Neither has Catherine Crawford. In French Twist she uncovers the secrets of French child-rearing--and then tries them out on her own family, with remarkable results. Part memoir, part instruction manual, French Twist is hilarious, honest, and incredibly useful."--Lori Leibovich, executive lifestyle editor of The Huffington Post
"Catherine Crawford has written a great parenting book. I can't wait to have kids and apply all I have learned here. Wait--hold on. I'm being told I already have two kids. This is incredible news! I will begin applying immediately."--Adam Scott, actor, Parks and Recreation
Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing.
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I would recommend this to anyone who needs a bit of help in settling into the parenting role. It helps to read about this other adored culture. Then it's good to give it some thought and consideration. And also give yourself some credit for doing a good job. (