Monday 13 August 2007

Mud pie in your face!

I let my daughter crawl around on the grass, play with dirt and get her hands dirty. SO WHAT?
Stop shooting me snide looks when you see her crawling around the play ground. Don't tell me she's going to get dirty when she plays with dirt (duh, that's what happens!). Don't tell me that the grass is unclean when she puts some in her mouth.

And if your toddler decides to emulate my daughter playing with pebbles, do not look at me like it's my fault and do not say to your child, "see, now your hands are all dirty," while rolling your eyes at me.

And do not shoot me nasty looks when my daughter laughs in a restaurant or cries in a store because she's got a dirty diaper and she's being dragged around through Carrefour. Babies make lots of noise and sometimes cry, OK? Geez... (I did actually say this in very loud French to the haughty woman who was giving me the evil eye).

Can someone please explain to the French parents that part of being a kid is getting dirty, eating dirt and making lots of noise? I always heard that French children were supposed to be seen not heard, but I didn't realize that they also weren't supposed to eat grass or make mud pies - I guess just more proof that American cuisine is sub-par.

And while you're at it, can you tell that nasty couple who were very loudly discussing their divorce over dinner on Saturday night while we were out on a "date" that changing your 6 month old on an empty table in the restaurant is just wrong. We Americans may let our kids play in dirt but we don't submit other restaurant-goers to dirty diapers...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I just found your blog and love it. I live in the states (I am American), but my husband is from outside of Lille. I had to comment when I read your post. We have French friends and they are so much "tougher" with their kids than I am BUT I have found that when I bring my daughter out in public she is so much more well behaved than their children. Their children seem to go wild in public and they are constantly yelling at them.
Patricia

Anonymous said...

..or their dirty laundry. Yikes.

Nicole said...

my gosh, where do you live? That sounds awful. The parents in Laval are a lot more laid back. And yuck - I've never seen anyone change a baby's diaper on a table in a restaurant. I'm sure you weren't the only one who was grossed out.

Just me said...

I've seen some loud and dirty looking French kids running around the shopping centers here in the North. But when it comes to my French friends and family, everything has to be clean! I try to keep my little one as clean as possible, but like you said....kids are kids!

wcs said...

They actually changed a baby on a restaurant table ? Yuck.

JChevais said...

SHOCKING!

Yes... I remember those dirty looks at the park.

When my son was 1 years old, I invited the French family over to watch my son (clad in a white t-shirt no less) devour chocolate cake with his hands. At first they were shocked, then they got out their cameras and had a ball.

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