Top Three

Margot's top three interests these days (in no particular order):

1. Reading

2. Drawing

3. Organizing

(As I post those pictures, I notice the following: much of Margot's life takes place on that EQ3 red chair.)

The Sound of August

Crickets.

Mon coup de coeur de l'été *

I love the lyrics of this song! It's all about writing. The tune is catchy and it makes me smile.

For someone who likes to keep track of her life through writing (diary, yoga practices, agenda, book reviews, inspirational thoughts, "to do" lists) and who believes in handwritten letters, this song speaks to me!

À vous de la découvrir!

I couldn't find a way to put a link to the song and there are no youtube clips of it. You'll have to do with Margot's dancing and my iPod stereo.

*La chanson j'écris de Koxie

**I found a link to the lyrics if you wish to follow along: http://www.paroles-musique.com/imprim.php?id=124733

Being a Parent: The French Way

A few months ago, I read the much-popular, Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman. In short: an American woman living in Paris who is raising her young children. This book has been positively reviewed and talked about since its appearance on North American bookshelves.


I read it. Here are a few random (because I like randomness) observations. Like all parenting books: you take some, you leave some. These are the ones I found most interesting:


[I should add that as a Québécoise, a well-travelled Europhile, and a friend to  Europeans , some observations weren't big revelations to me.]

Simple Pleasures: water, sand, and a feather

On Conflict
Like the Idle Parent (read my Being a Parent, Part 2): let kids play by themselves and resolve their own conflicts while parents have coffee (or wine) in a different room of the house.
"French parents aren't panicked about their children's well-being. This calmer outlook makes them better at both establishing boundaries and giving their kids some autonomy." Take a step back. "French kids have more autonomy in their dealings with each other. French parents seem slower to intervene in playground disputes. They expect kids to work these situations out for themselves".

Introducing: La pause

Observe your child before rushing to intervene. Watch. Breathe. Have a sip of wine. Then, go to the child. This develops patience (for the child).

A stern "Attends"

I'm on the right track since I use it constantly with Margot. Instead of saying "Arrête" ou "Sois tranquille" ou "schhh!", I say "attend". It is working  à merveille!

Sois sage (comme une image)

Instead of saying: "Be good" or "sois gentille", say "sois sage". The real meaning of Sois sage doesn't translate well ."Be wise"? "behave appropriately, use good judgement", "be respectful of other (...) the child is in command of herself."  

Saying "Be good" implies that being good goes contrary to her true nature.  I like that and often remind Simon to stop saying "Be a good girl". "Sois sage, Margot"

C'est moi qui décide

Sharing power with a child doesn't exist. Le parent décide. It's part of the hierarchal culture. No questions asked. I can't take myself seriously when I say that to Margot. Does she even get it???

Tu n'as pas le droit

Instead of saying "Ne frappe pas Billy", you say: "Tu n'as pas le droit de frapper Billy". "This suggests that there's a fixed and coherent system of rights which both children and adults can refer to. It also makes it clear that the child does have the right to do other things". I used that sentence with Noa a few days ago, and he simply looked at me and said "Oui, j'ai le droit." Hum...

On Food

I have to admit that I'm quite strict on what Margot cannot eat. Poor child! Since she has such a good appetite, I know I shouldn't really worry. O&M's mum bakes tons of cakes and muffins and chocolate loaves... and they even eat pains au chocolat! (my weakness). All reasons for Margot to pack her bags, hop on a plane and cross the ocean. Why aren't sweets more accepted here?Perhaps it's because "French parents talk about chocolate as if it's just another food group, albeit one to eat in moderation... In general, they will serve cake or cookies at lunch or at the goûter (afternoon snack)". I would like to add that only the best ingredients are used (right?) when baking in France. This makes it justifiable.  

Pick your Battles

We put too much effort on everything. "Don't get worked up about minor bétises (small acts of naughtiness) These are just part of being a kid. If every misbehaviour is treated on the same level, how will they know what's important?" This relates a bit to the idea of "doing less"from The Idle Parent.

On Praise

Don't praise too much. As a teacher, that's actually right up my alley! "The French believe that kids feel confident when they're able to do things for themselves, and do those things well (...) They don't act like every job well done is an occasion to say "good job". Point final. How will kids know when they actually do something remarkable (ex. ride bike) if we continually  make a big deal on everything little thing they do (ex. drawing circles on every blank sheet of paper) . False praise is tiring and insincere.

On Books
The difference between French and English (North American) kids' books:


In the American books:
i) there's a problem
ii) there's a struggle to fix it
iii) a cheerful resolution.
Lessons are learned and life gets better.


In the French books:
i) there's a problem,
ii) there's a struggle to fix it
iii)seldom succeed to fix it
iv)protagonist has the same problem again.
There's rarely a moment of personal transformation when everyone learns and grows.
Life is ambiguous and complicated (like real life!). There aren't bad guys and good guys. Each of us has a bit of both...

Let your child be naked in the Ottawa River!

Mambo Girl

No sitting still for this lil' one.

Retreating

This weekend I went to a yoga retreat with a dear friend. We always dreamed of going to a yoga retreat in Costa Rica one day. We couldn't do Costa Rica this year, so we went to Wolf Island instead (close to Kingston) to Shanti Yoga Retreat. I didn't bring my camera, but if you look at their website, it gives you an idea of what it looks like (and it really looks like that).  The property is magnificent! There was a lot of R&R time. The weather was gorgeous. I read. I swam. I knitted. I did some yoga. Unfortunately, the type of yoga (Agama Yoga) practiced that weekend wasn't really my thing. However, it was a nice little getaway from the daily grind and I do feel refreshed!


MARGOT NEWS:

Margot learned to make bread at the Agriculture Museum:

Margot doesn't like having a barrette in her hair:

Margot always picks the biggest watermelon piece and gobbles it. She needs to eat watermelon naked because it's more convenient to hose her down:

Margot loves tomatoes. She did take an enormous bite of that big one. We get weekly vegetable deliveries from a farm and Margot always bites in a few veggies between the pick up spot (a block from our house) and our house.

Summer

Close your eyes. Imagine summer.

We don't own a cottage. We're not going to a PEI holiday this year.

It's hot. It's sunny. It's dry. We're done our vacation for the year. Simon's working regular hours.

This morning (because mornings are always the best time of day to go anywhere), Margot and I went to the Aylmer Beach with Noa, Mishka and Grand-Maman.

The kids had the beach for themselves for about an hour. Very little amuses them. What joy!

And, just for fun, this is where we were last year in July:

Cape Breton Island, NS

Singing Sands Beach, PEI

Iles de la Madeleine - on a cold day

Iles de la Madeleine - on a sunny day