The only parenting book I read before my almost-four-year-old son Leo was born was Pamela Druckerman’s 2012 Bringing up Bébé. As an American transplant raising kids in France, Druckerman observed that the French child is not the sun in the familial solar system. I prepared myself to nurture and prune a bien-élevé (well-mannered) toddler—the kind that wears smocked Liberty print dresses, sits and colors, and eats braised endives while her parents hold forth about a new podcast. The book’s thesis and the key to a civilized French household: the parents are in charge, not the children. “C’est moi qui décide,” is the French mother’s last word to her obstreperous child.
I thought of Druckerman’s credo several years ago when I accompanied a friend and her two-and-half-year-old to get ice cream. “He only likes strawberry,” my friend told the teenager behind the counter. “And it cannot contain seeds.” This part, my friend repeated in the sort of non-negotiable tone that a pop star’s tour manager might demand the absence of carnations from a dressing room flower arrangement. Obviously ill-versed in the toddler mood-swing, the teenager informed us there was no more seedless strawberry ice cream to be had. Gamely, if naively, she suggested strawberry frozen yogurt that would be made on the spot with actual strawberries —!!!—and their seeds. Reluctantly, my friend agreed, and then proceeded to meticulously de-seed every spoonful as her son suspiciously appraised her efforts. As I watched, I thought of all of those French children surely quietly, gratefully, tucking into bowlfuls of seed-ed cassis sorbet, and I smugly told myself—with the superiority of the childless—that I would never be one of those mothers who tend slavishly to the demands of their offspring.

Then I had Leo. And I have been his butler (I mean mother) for almost 4 years. To my relief, he is all for a seeded ice cream, which is not to say that he does not have other, let’s call them, eccentricities. It occurred to me that things might be taking a problematic turn when Leo was about two, and I found myself carrying a breakfast tray upstairs so that he might enjoy a morning bed picnic. He sat in my bed in his pajamas, reclining against more pillows than you’d find in a guest bedroom in a Nancy Meyers movie. I had long nurtured a Downton Abbey fantasy, but here I was, cast in the wrong role.
Master Leo just needs a little bell!
But he already has one: at about 18 months, I’d attached a plush musical pull-toy to the edge of his crib. Instead of playing it before going to sleep, Leo took to yanking on the string—prompting a Brahms’ lullaby to sound—upon rising from his nap, ostensibly ringing for service. “I’d like water!” he’d say. As I’d scurry downstairs, he’d call out, refining his order: “Freezing cold!” Now, whenever I hear Brahms, I feel a Pavlovian urge to leap to my feet and beeline to his side, like a flight attendant heading towards a first-class passenger who’s just buzzed for beverage service.
I HAD LONG NURTURED A DOWNTON ABBEY FANTASY, BUT HERE I WAS, CAST IN THE WRONG ROLE.
“Master Leo just needs a little bell!” a friend suggested, laughing. But he already has one: at about 18 months, I’d attached a plush musical pull-toy to the edge of his crib. Instead of playing it before going to sleep, Leo took to yanking on the string—prompting a Brahms’ lullaby to sound—upon rising from his nap, ostensibly ringing for service. “I’d like water!” he’d say. As I’d scurry downstairs, he’d call out, refining his order: “Freezing cold!” Now, whenever I hear Brahms, I feel a Pavlovian urge to leap to my feet and beeline to his side, like a flight attendant heading towards a first-class passenger who’s just buzzed for beverage service.
I value the post.Really thank you! Really Great.
Very good article post.Much thanks again. Great.
Thank you ever so for you post.Thanks Again. Will read on…
Thanks again for the article post.Much thanks again. Great.
You are really a good webmaster, you have done a well job on this topic!
Thank you ever so for you blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
I really like and appreciate your blog. Really Cool.
A round of applause for your blog.Thanks Again. Great.
FRESHCC.RU – We hope you visit our Onlinestore and with full consent buy FreshCC.RU from the Store
Major thankies for the article.Thanks Again. Really Great.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Fantastic blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
Thanks a lot for the article post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
Great, thanks for sharing this blog post. Will read on…
Muchos Gracias for your article post.Really thank you! Fantastic.
This is one awesome article post.Thanks Again. Awesome.
Looking forward to reading more. Great blog post.Much thanks again. Great.
Thanks a lot for the blog article.Thanks Again. Awesome.
Thanks so much for the blog. Fantastic.
I appreciate you sharing this blog.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
This is one awesome blog.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
1. Electronic
Hey, thanks for the article.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.
Thanks again for the blog article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
Royalcasino Şikayet Royalcasino bahis sitesinde ödeme konusunda herhangi bir sorun yaşanmaz. Site üzerinde yer alan tüm işlemler en iyi şekilde yerine getirilmesi için hazırlanmıştır. Bu nedenle siteyle alakalı şikayet bulunmuyor. Örnek olarak site içerisinde bulunan Royalcasino TV uygulaması sorunsuz bir şekilde çalışır. Aynı zamanda para çekme konusunda işlemler yalnızca birkaç
Impressive posts about SEO. My blog xrank.cyou also has a lot of exclusive content I created myself, I am sure you won’t leave empty-handed if you drop by my page.