General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why American Kids Are Brats [View all]Mass
(27,315 posts)First, it is true that in general, children are a lot less the center of the universe than they are in this country. It may be because women overwhelmingly work even during their kids' childhood. There are more daycare and preschool, and they are affordable (and free for KG starting at 2). I am 50 and I felt fairly uncomfortable when I came to the US and found that a lot fewer mothers worked (though it has been improving). I think the point the writer may have right is that there may be a lot less pressure on mothers to be perfect mothers.
It is also true that notion of self-esteem is not that important in France, and kids are expected to perform in school. From anecdotal experiences I have had in the US with my kids at PT conferences, I would say French (and Europeans in general) are in-between when it comes to school expectations. I live in the suburbs of Harvard and there are many European and Asian families, and it was interesting to see the differences in the questions asked by parents: from Asian parents wanting to be sure that their kids were challenged to American parents wanting to be sure they were not too challenged and had time for extra-curricular, with European parents in the middle. (at least in middle school. In high-school, the pressure to go to an Ivy League college makes it a different proposition).
This said, the operative word here is "in general". There are many families in the US who raise very polite, considerate kids, and there are many families in France who raise brats. And education philosophy is different from families to families, just as it is in the US. And the idea that kids are polite and considerate, and help out when asked is laughable. Either this person is a terrible mother who raised brats or her friends are saints who raised perfect kids, but the generalization is stupid.