Quotes by Pamela Druckerman

Awakening is about introducing a child to sensory experiences, including tastes. It doesnt always require the parents active involvement. It can come from staring at the sky, smelling dinner as its being prepared, or playing alone on a blanket. Its a way of sharpening the childs senses and preparing him to distinguish between different experiences. Its the first step toward teaching him to be a cultivated adult who knows how to enjoy himself. Awakening is a kind of training for children in how to profiter - to soak up the pleasure and richness of the moment.

One day I have a revelation. ‘I think we’re actually quite compatible,’ I tell him. ‘You’re irritable, and I’m irritating.

The French believe that kids feel confident when theyre able to do things for themselves, and do those things well. After children have learned to talk, adults dont praise them for saying just anything. They praise them for saying interesting things, and for speaking well.

When I ask French parents what they most want for their children, they say things like to feel comfortable in their own skin and to find their path in the world. They want their kids to develop their own tastes and opinions. In fact, French parents worry if their kids are too docile. They want them to have chara

You don’t say, “I’m sorry,”’ he says. ‘Getting injections, and experiencing pain, is part of life. There’s no reason to apologize for that.’ He seems to be channelling Rousseau, who said, ‘If by too much care you spare them every kind of discomfort, you are preparing great miseries for them.’ (I’m not sure what Rousseau thought about suppositories.)