tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post2516296332356364298..comments2024-01-01T20:33:52.554-08:00Comments on a moon, worn as if it had been a shell: Extreme Parenting and Teeth BrushingElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-37795668137416897652012-06-10T09:54:40.356-07:002012-06-10T09:54:40.356-07:00Hi: excuse my poor english (I am native spanish). ...Hi: excuse my poor english (I am native spanish). I don't believe that French parents are better parents. In the world are good parents and bad parents. In some countries to be a good parent is more hard than in others. And God bless you and your children and your husband too. Bye.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-83013452939674045462012-02-13T12:03:43.261-08:002012-02-13T12:03:43.261-08:00I love the way you write. I also am bored to tears...I love the way you write. I also am bored to tears by the parenting debates. And I love that your son has trophies that aren't technically his. But they are now, aren't they?Vesuvius At Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783271096885148080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-83911267703062687772012-02-13T08:56:15.531-08:002012-02-13T08:56:15.531-08:00I have never read parenting books. Nobody knows m...I have never read parenting books. Nobody knows my child like I do. So far, my kids are turning out well. And I am sure the French have an equal amount of delinquents as everyone else. <br />Brush your teeth for 2 1/2 minutes and it winks at you.Birdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03479872783727855901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-60512468320579425462012-02-12T22:33:00.428-08:002012-02-12T22:33:00.428-08:00It's true that it's silly for everyone to ...It's true that it's silly for everyone to get a trophy. But it was equally silly to give trophies and ribbons to the kids who won the hundred yard dash or the long jump in those grade school field day competitions. Kids won those not in the way high school and older athletes do ....through combining talent with constant practice and conditioning...but rather by just having good genes. Giving an award to a 7 year old who runs the fastest at school one day is like giving an award to the kid with the highest i.q. You've done nothing o earn it other than being born lucky.Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16831580101168618303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-11671443605993197602012-02-12T05:49:23.504-08:002012-02-12T05:49:23.504-08:00i too am bored by the same debates. and im just c...i too am bored by the same debates. and im just cracking up about oliver's yard sale trophies!!! LOL! <br /><br />Well said, as always.Alicia Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06244714478310893367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-48216936866540455142012-02-12T02:09:50.060-08:002012-02-12T02:09:50.060-08:00You are awesome.You are awesome.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08071740989565033354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-29787017558492877662012-02-12T01:27:26.466-08:002012-02-12T01:27:26.466-08:00It sounds like you have a healthy perspective, on ...It sounds like you have a healthy perspective, on parenting and much, much else. (As I began reading your post I thought of that crazy Tiger Mother book too, so I was glad to see you mentioned it.)<br /><br />I think I may be the only person on the planet who still uses a plain old Oral B toothbrush!Steve Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11684120060438252945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-14388211914740520772012-02-11T22:32:16.753-08:002012-02-11T22:32:16.753-08:00Never heard of the book. But I should write one a...Never heard of the book. But I should write one about Italian parenting ;) We (culturally) don't reward at all, we go the opposite way, always pointing out how much better something could have been done. Perhaps the French got it, and master the balanced parenting?Francescahttp://www.fuoriborgo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-73699085644022425432012-02-11T20:59:36.334-08:002012-02-11T20:59:36.334-08:00Great post, Elizabeth. I'm with you here. Al...Great post, Elizabeth. I'm with you here. All this emphasis on the perfect way. I too rarely, if ever, brush my teeth for the required length of time. And I too fear the reprimands from the dentist over my abysmal flossing. <br /><br />How infantilised we can become in the face of such authority figures as dentists and books that like to tell us how best to do it, from cleaning our houses, to raising our children. <br /><br />The thought police, I call them. How hard it becomes to silence them in our heads.Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04015624747225433940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-32362000665977734502012-02-11T20:43:42.384-08:002012-02-11T20:43:42.384-08:00I agree that this should be widely read. I saw the...I agree that this should be widely read. I saw the woman who wrote that French parenting book on the Today Show the other day, and the whole thing just made me roll my eyes. Yet another thing for mothers to feel guilty about. I bet those French children don't get fat either. I guess we Americans aren't good for much except bailing France's ass out of wars (Maginot Line!). I'm sorry, I just sounded all right wing, didn't I, don't know how that happened. I must admit, however, that I'd love somebody to give me a pat on the pack for brushing my teeth for 2 minutes. I'll take it where I can get it.gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00952840544630534206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-34312774510281690902012-02-11T16:30:47.466-08:002012-02-11T16:30:47.466-08:00Being 1/2 French I'm still not interested in t...Being 1/2 French I'm still not interested in the book. The photo has always fascinated me and I think I saw a documentary or something on this woman who was humiliated by the picture that was plastered all over the newspapers in the 30's especially since the photographer promised her no one would ever see it. The original photo was found in a dumpster in the 60's in...i think...San Jose...SECRET PEPPER PERSON:https://www.blogger.com/profile/06434583043459305729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-41166944193190927552012-02-11T16:27:49.376-08:002012-02-11T16:27:49.376-08:00I'm just sick of all the competition about eve...I'm just sick of all the competition about everything and the one-size-fits-all solutions that pop up time and again. The Atkins Diet! Tiger Moms! Homeschooling! Not homeschooling! <br /><br />We are a planet of diverse humans. Once we realize that each of us has different needs, desires, talents, and reservoirs of strength and use those to help each other instead of handing out glib advice or judgements, we might begin to move forward. <br /><br />And, frankly, I'm terribly relieved to know that I'm not the only one who rarely gets to two minutes of brushing a day. I might flick that smiley-face if my toothbrush had one.kariohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10150537989886423212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-71105083802693802282012-02-11T11:19:41.117-08:002012-02-11T11:19:41.117-08:00What is there left to say, except...love what you ...What is there left to say, except...love what you wrote...thought provoking. Isn't it funny...2-3 weeks ago Design Mom wrote about how someone thought French parents were awful...than a week later they come out with a book about they're better! Who to believe?Bea, OThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08301207485195668332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-34174994052709372302012-02-11T11:17:23.040-08:002012-02-11T11:17:23.040-08:00Well, all this talk about mothering...Makes me won...Well, all this talk about mothering...Makes me wonder if no one is interested in fathering...no tiger fathers in the world? This world of having disabled kids makes us all believers in unconditional, unrequited love by mom and dad. We need fewer parents who judge their quality of parenting by the accomplishments of the kids, and more who just love them without qualification. I almost threw up when I have recently read about "the eagle father" which I thought bordered on lunacy :<br />http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/09/chinese-eagle-dad-forces-nearly-naked-son-4-to-run-around-in-new-york-snow/Phil Dzialohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150881545903849250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-18628485390799922692012-02-11T10:54:44.402-08:002012-02-11T10:54:44.402-08:00I was talking to K. about that book and what I sai...I was talking to K. about that book and what I said was, "Man, this just goes to show that we have WAY too much leisure time. If we were effin' worried about how we were going to put the next meal on the table, we would not be having these discussions."<br />Let the upper-class give the book to their nannies. We'll shoulder on doing the very best we can. <br />And hell, sometimes we NEED a reward for brushing our teeth for two minutes. Because as parents, that's very often the only one we'll get all day except for, oh, you know- the reward of knowing we're doing our best.Ms. Moonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09776404747858099919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-49967396240135524242012-02-11T10:49:54.934-08:002012-02-11T10:49:54.934-08:00If I had to do it over again I would have rewarded...If I had to do it over again I would have rewarded my children even more for the type of person they were being (hard-working, kind, honest, creative) versus what they were "achieving" (grades, trophies, first place riboons).Noanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01300868872496481473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-3131344924083278422012-02-11T10:43:17.173-08:002012-02-11T10:43:17.173-08:00My electric tooth brush rewards two minutes of bru...My electric tooth brush rewards two minutes of brushing with a quick shot of ground Oreos and a Starburst chaser. Interestingly, it was sold to me by a dental office... but hey, it's yummy, so who's to complain?<br /><br />I am not a fan of rewarding when baseline expectations are met, whatever type of parenting that defines me as.... Thanks for the morning thoughts. I'll mull as I clean my molars, too. And eat the Oreos!Greg Pincushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00449684160718426340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-31007219166055002772012-02-11T10:34:53.772-08:002012-02-11T10:34:53.772-08:00Love a long post from you. So much food for thoug...Love a long post from you. So much food for thought.<br /><br />I think the "Elizabeth Method" of mothering is perfectly fine. Love, and soulful thought seem to be just the right combination for raising 3 beautiful children. I'd buy that book :)livhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00091094639074377780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-17098132772540009592012-02-11T10:30:36.196-08:002012-02-11T10:30:36.196-08:00I love this. It needs to be widely read.I love this. It needs to be widely read.Gbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08895779471612397202noreply@blogger.com