The Daddy Complex

Showing 74 posts tagged news

newyorker: The Secret to French Parenting “Bringing Up Bébé” could have offered a complementary view of the link between public policy and social norms. But instead Druckerman largely trails off, providing a series of loose observations that fall somewhere between snarky (“Moms do get a bit fatter as you get farther from central Paris”) and Martha Stewart-y (“We have a collection of colorful melamine plates. But for dinner I use white, which makes the colors of the food pop”). That’s too bad, as the spirited reception for a book like “Bébé” attests to a wish for guidance on behalf of American mothers, and the real need for change in how America handles issues like maternity leave, daycare, and public education. The lack of support for mothers in American society, Warner discerns, engenders an entrenched sense of anxiety and that often leads to “hyper parenting.” Without a cadre, or frame, for childhood, many American mothers feel like they are flying blind and solo—resulting in a kind of perfectionist despair. Fatigued, American parents look overseas for the solution, but just may discover that no amount of French or Chinese will sufficiently change anything. - On our Book Bench blog, Ruth Margalit writes about the latest book to claim child-rearing superiority: “Bringing Up Bébé”: http://nyr.kr/yKfw5P Holy crap. I love this. (Hey, rascouet. Any thoughts on this as someone intimate with both France and ‘Murica? Is this a valid assessment?)

newyorker:

The Secret to French Parenting

“Bringing Up Bébé” could have offered a complementary view of the link between public policy and social norms. But instead Druckerman largely trails off, providing a series of loose observations that fall somewhere between snarky (“Moms do get a bit fatter as you get farther from central Paris”) and Martha Stewart-y (“We have a collection of colorful melamine plates. But for dinner I use white, which makes the colors of the food pop”). That’s too bad, as the spirited reception for a book like “Bébé” attests to a wish for guidance on behalf of American mothers, and the real need for change in how America handles issues like maternity leave, daycare, and public education. The lack of support for mothers in American society, Warner discerns, engenders an entrenched sense of anxiety and that often leads to “hyper parenting.” Without a cadre, or frame, for childhood, many American mothers feel like they are flying blind and solo—resulting in a kind of perfectionist despair. Fatigued, American parents look overseas for the solution, but just may discover that no amount of French or Chinese will sufficiently change anything.

- On our Book Bench blog, Ruth Margalit writes about the latest book to claim child-rearing superiority: “Bringing Up Bébé”: http://nyr.kr/yKfw5P

Holy crap. I love this.

(Hey, rascouet. Any thoughts on this as someone intimate with both France and ‘Murica? Is this a valid assessment?)

whenrobotsreproduce:

“It’s not baby-sitting when Daddy does it. Who wouldn’t agree with that? The U.S. Census Bureau, apparently. When both parents are present in the household, the Census Bureau assumes for the purposes of its ‘Who’s Minding the Kids?’ report, that the mother is the ‘designated parent.’ And when the designated parent is working or at school, the bureau would like to know who’s providing child care. If the answer is Daddy, as it was 26 percent of the time when these numbers were last released, in 2005, and 32 percent of the time in 2010, the Census Bureau calls that ‘care.’ But if Mom is caring for a child while Dad’s at work, that’s not a ‘child care arrangement,’ but something else. Parenting, presumably.”

—The Census Bureau Counts Fathers as ‘Child Care’ - NYTimes.com

Excuse me?

I try to not be bothered by stuff like this, but c’mon. Allow me to offer this measured and respectful rebuttal…

Dear U.S. Census Bureau:

Fuck you.

Sincerely,
David Vienna, Dad 

Not to toot my own country's horn, but have you seen the Wall Street Journal story "Why French Parents Are Superior?" The bit about children regulating their own emotions in that obesity article made me think about it.

Asked by rascouet

I did see that article. I was actually trying to think of a good way to cover that topic. On the flip-side, I just read a post from lazydad who’s angry the media is lumping all Chinese dads in with that one “Eagle Dad” guy who made his kid stand in the snow in his underwear.

My best friend growing up was half Australian. His dad let him have the occasional beer at a very young age. He said down under, drinking beer just wasn’t that big of a deal. But, that’s a cultural thing, not a race thing.

I think the problem lazydad highlights is the media’s fallacy that race rather than culture is the main factor. And even then, it shouldn’t be assumed that one asshole represents an entire culture. I mean… can’t we all just get along?

(That said, I think we can all aspire to be a bit more French.)

Good Parenting May Lower Childhood Obesity Risk

If this is true, my kids are going to be HUGE!

parenting:

A growing body of evidence suggests that it isn’t always what kids eat that leads to childhood obesity; a good deal of the responsibility to keep children healthy may rest on the choices parents make at home—and not just at mealtime! A new study from NYU Langone Medical Center found that children whose parents have been taught good parenting skills are less likely to become overweight, reports DNAinfo. Read full article