Face it… French children are cuter

You can disagree with me if you want, but you know I am right. French children are cuter. Their outfits are cuter, their hairstyles are cuter, their glasses are cuter, their rooms are cuter and their toys are cuter. Their names are also cuter. You don’t see a lot of children in Lakers uniforms, military style haircuts, ice hockey themed bedrooms, hot pink jeggings and little girl slut clothes who are named Brittany or Justin. My daughter, coming from laid-back Santa Barbara quickly realized the error of her ways when we were in Paris for a few months when she was in the ninth grade. After about a week of Gracie wearing her skinny jeans and Ugg boots she slowly realized she looked like an idiot. One of the best days of my life was when Gracie asked me to buy her a pair of black flats. By the next week she was in those cute flats, normal jeans, a little cardigan and a nice kneelength coat. My job as a mother was done. However, I do not agree with the way French parents raise their children. I am all for well mannered children but I think the French are a little too strict. I do like, though, the way the French children eat anything. My daughter has been going to college in Paris since August and has definitely changed her palette. For the past 18 years, my daughter would not eat eggs, cheese, salmon, croissants, onions and a host of other foods. The other day she came over to my apartment, went into the kitchen and returned 20 minutes later with scrambled eggs and cheese on a croissants. I said, “Since when do you eat eggs and cheese?” Her answer? “Since I got to Paris. It’s delicious.” There is also a huge difference in the decoration of children’s rooms in France versus United States. Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate United States. I just hate badly decorated children’s rooms. The general theme in United States with children’s rooms is either sports-based or Barbie based. Now that I think of it, there are not a lot of “theme based” rooms in France. One time in Santa Barbara, I was at my friend’s house and she was proudly showing me her son’s Chicago Bears themed based room complete with a Chicago Bears round rug. I won’t name names but you know who you are… Debbie. From what I have seen in Paris, children’s rooms are more subtle. There are soft pinks, greys, ivory, linen fabrics, lots of books, not a lot of plastic toys, good lighting, soft rugs and everything looks a bit more natural. I put together a little collection of pictures to prove that I am right. Love, Ellie

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