I posted this article on facebook yesterday. It fascinates me, not only because I have often fantasized about being French and every day sauntering into Parisian boulangeries with my lovely French child to nibble on chocolate croissants and pain aux raisins. I wonder if there’s any truth to these theories. They sound good to me, logical, plausible, and I wonder if just being a little more stern and restrictive with Aidan could be the key to taming my wild, willful boy. But facebook friends were up in arms.

“What a crock!” one of them shouted. “Well mannered, well behaved French kids?! Where?”

One other thought I had: Do I really want to tame my boy? As much as it drives me crazy, his defiance and boundless energy and big opinions make him the lively, intense, wonderful, smart boy that he is. Would I like to wring that out of him just to make my life a little bit easier?

It’s a question I battle with everyday. (Or is it only a lame excuse for being unable to control my child?!)

What do you think?