The playground. Midnight stroll.

Today we spent most of the day at the park. Parks are different in different countries. In France less seems to be more in the world of child's play. As long as there is grass the kids are expected to play among themselves while their patents or caretakers sit on the benches for uninterrupted adult time. There were no giant million dollar structures for kids to fall off of or to need help climbing. The kids just ran and played around the few trees, bushes, and statues. We stumbled upon this park on our way to the post office. We stopped to watch as a nearby school let out and followed the nannies and parents to the park.

Before our trip I read an article about the "superior French parenting style". Since being here I've been able to observe French parenting for myself. It has been explained to me that the French believe that children are born "wrong" and must be corrected and molded into sophisticated adults. The kids are given many responsibilities, excuses are not accepted, and independence from parents is the goal. Kids are not to be babied or spoiled. I am definitely seeing many of these parenting styles mentioned in the article. Whether it is "superior" is definitely a matter of opinion. But I will tell you one thing, I have yet to see a French child throw a tantrum. I'm willing to admit that the only screaming child I've seen is Dude, and boy do we get "looks"!

After their long play time we stopped at the grocery store and went back to the school apartment. The kids played with Legos and drew pictures for hours.  At about 10 pm we went for a night stroll to a chinese restaurant. The kids were giddy and having the time of their lives. By the time we made it home it was midnight and they all went to bed without a fight. Tomorrow will be a very busy day, which is ok, because everyone will sleep well tonight.

These pictures are of dude drinking out of a kids fountain at the park. I took the picture because this fountain made so much sense. Back home I always have to lift him to get a drink. He used this fountain on his own!

The next picture is a Lego plane that Zane built during down time and finally
we have a picture from our night stroll.