I don't fritter away
all my time on science fiction, romance, thrillers and mysteries. I try to have at least one "improving" book going on the MP3 or Kindle at any given time, some for longer amounts of time than others.
This is one I had
no idea would be so improving:
Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, and one of the reasons the "try a sample" function on the Kindle is a devil-born hole in my wallet. The title of the book dissimulates slightly: this isn't just
any American mother, this is a middle class, neurotic, New York mother who knows where it's possible to shell out $600 for a Baby Bodyguard to babyproof your chichi loft. Part observation on French child rearing as contrasted to American, part memoir of expatriate life in Paris with children, the book is wholly entertaining and thought-provoking.
No, I do not now nor does it appear likely I will ever be raising actual human children who exist outside my head. I
do, however, have an Inner Brat and two cats. (I suspect
le cadre will work some better on Brat than cats, but anything is worth a try.) It didn't occur to me until a French mother told the author to say "no" like she meant it that we all have an Inner Brat to deal with, and how often do we mean no when saying it to ourselves? Plus, the fall-out from having no fixed schedule for meals and sleeping is as obvious in my own life as it is in the lives of American toddlers.
Which reminds me: I appear to be late for work. Oops.