'French Twist': 6 stories from an American mom's try at Gallic parenting

Mom Catherine Crawford took parenting tips from her French friends and decided to try them in her own home. Here, from her book "French Twist," are a few stories about what she learned.

6. Consideration for others

A woman sits inside a French commuter rail station Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Crawford writes that she knew she had to make her children better understand that everything did not revolve around them when she was on a train in France. "I discovered – two and a half hours into the ride – a two-year-old and a six-year-old seated three rows behind me," she wrote. "I had just awoken from a delightful afternoon nap when I saw them carefully and quietly making their way down the aisle with a man who I presume was their father. The trio was whispering in deference to the many sleeping passengers (again, sleep is a huge priority for the French), even though it was about 3:00 p.m.... I've since been trying to engender the same kind of regard for the needs of society in my kids. As it is, I can barely keep them quiet on Saturday morning to let their father 'sleep in' until 8:00 a.m."

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