Happy St David’s day
When I was a child, my favourite days of the year, in order, were:
1) Christmas Day
2) My birthday
3) St David’s Day
The first two are obvious of course – they involve presents! But the third, St David’s day, might surprise you.
For those who don’t know, St David’s Day is is the feast day of the patron saint of Wales and every year on March 1st, we celebrate. I think one of the reasons the day even now gives me a shiver of pleasure is that, as a Welsh child, it was a half-day at school. The afternoon was spent visiting older relatives to show them what we looked like in our Welsh costume followed by singing a song for them. Read more »
Why French Children Don’t Throw Food
There’s been a lot of discussion in the press recently about Pamela Druckman’s intriguingly named book, French Children Don’t Throw Food, which promises "parenting secrets from Paris".
I’m always a bit sceptical about reading this type of book but I have to say that it has completely hooked me and I am now trying to bring out my own ‘french mummy’ with my kids.
Pamela Druckman moves from New York to Paris to be with her English boyfriend who is working there. They marry, have a child and immerse themselves in Parisian family life. But, after being a mother for a while, she starts to compare her own American/British techniques with the French mums around her and wonders why, amongst many other things, “French children don’t throw food”. Read more »
Thank you mummy
Before I had my own children, I had very clear ideas about the way in which I was going to bring them up. Having taught so many and seen so many parents ‘parent’, I thought I knew it all. Hmmm…
The reality, of course, has been very different. There are so many things that I thought I’d do or do better. But life just gets in the way, doesn’t it?
The one basic rule I have kept, however, is that my children absolutely must say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Almost as they started learning words, I have prompted, encouraged and insisted that they respond politely to adults and children alike. Yes, I am a soft touch in other areas (chocolate, bed-times etc. etc.) but I have been super strict with this and now, I am proud to say, I think they are pretty good at it. They say “please” and “thank you” every time without thinking and people often comment on this – which pleases me no end. And I don’t think I’m alone. Did anyone else see that interview where David Beckham said that his kids had impeccable manners? It struck me as such a good reflection on him and his wife that, despite their wealth and fame, they still attached importance to getting the basics right. Read more »
