Comparisons

Read two parenting books this past month. This one I started reading and really liked the introduction explaining the science behind it all and the section on gentle birthing but it became irritating to read after awhile so I scanned the last half of the book. I'm all for aspects of attachment parenting that are simply intuitive, easy to do, and produce good results, but this women is pretty extreme and seems to sacrifice (too) much of herself.

The other book is a comparison of French to American parenting from an American mom living in Paris. It seems to me that she is comparing Parisians to New York mothers and that might be where it ends. The U.S. is huge and encompasses many types of parents and cultures which means different ways of raising children. I'm sure France is similar. But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was one I didn't want to put down until I was finished and I even got a good recipe for the kiddos out of it. I appreciated the research this author did and the points she made about French parenting. Much of it I identify with and it was a good education on how to parent wiser.

Another comparison. Max is 3 months old (yesterday) and this is Maggie at 2.5 months (chose this photo because it was taken similarly). I love my kids! I'm scrambling to fit a lot of fun into my last couple weeks of maternity leave. After that, it's a balance of work and home life again. I'm sure it will take some adjustment (like all the pumping and bottle feeding and little Max learning to spend pleasant days with his grandmas!) but I'm excited for the change.