President François Hollande promised homework will be abolished and he'll reduce the number of students who must repeat school years. He has also pledged schools will be more welcoming for children with less stressful days and the number of teachers will increase. Getting rid of homework is excellent news for children and parents, however, it's a tougher sell on teachers and … [Read more...]
What Do You Do When Your Child is Smacked by a Nounou – Repetitively!
My husband informed me that someone we know just found out that her nounou (babysitter) smacked her son. She came home and found a red scratch across his forehead and other on his arm. She she asked her 2.5 year old son what happened, and he told her that the nounou hit him because he would not go to sleep. This must be every parents' nightmare when leaving their innocent … [Read more...]
When Is the Right Time to Start Crèche?
My daughter is already eight months old. My husband is working full time and I am itching to start working full time again as well. Currently, I wake up at 6 am to work until my daughter, Juliana, wakes up. This varies from day to day, but is between 8 am and 10 am. Most days I can get two to four hours of uninterrupted work accomplished. She never takes consistent naps. … [Read more...]
Bringing Up Bebe – Finally, A Book on Parenting in France for Expats
When I was pregnant in France, I scoured the Internet to read everything I could about parenting in France. I really wanted a book to tell me what I could expect or the differences between France and the USA - but I could not find anything. My older sister and mother both heard about this book, Bringing Up Bebe, from the news recently and rushed to tell me about it. I purchased … [Read more...]
Making Sense of the Different Options for Childcare in France
I keep on getting confused about the different types of childcare options in France, so I decided to list them all down as a reference. Hope this helps you as well! Childcare Options in France Crèches – For children 2.5 months to 3 years old. Parents can select from an array of public or private crèches, but space is usually limited. If you live in a large city or a small … [Read more...]