Every morning when I get up, I turn on the TV to channel 9 and watch some music videos while waking up. This song, by Amel Bent, has been on the hit list for a few months now:
And I don't mind the song, per say - it's just the end that makes me cringe. I absolutely cannot stand the part at the end where the mom comes and screeches "Y'en a marre" at her daughter for singing - it makes me flinch every time. It just reminds me of how so many French mothers out there interact with their children - yelling at them, degrading them, etc. I see it all the time in the streets or in stores (or even when I used to work in the school system), and it's something I've never gotten used to. Not to mention they usually have voices high-enough for only dogs to hear. It's like frickin' nails on a chalkboard.
posted by Ksam @ 11:48 AM
8 Comments:
I've noticed that about French Moms too. But I wonder if it only seems that way because the language is so much more dramatic then English?? I do have to say though I've never seen people in the US get so worked up in public, or at least it is a lot more rare then it is out here...
My friend's baby cries every time she hears that song. I think a lot of adults do too.
I don't know that I entirely agree with the slam about French moms. I think there are two different things going on:
1. French parents expect a lot better behavior from their kids than American parents, especially those parents afflicted with Special Snowflake Syndrome, ie they don't think that their child does anything bad but everything is an expression of his/her unique intelligence. And French parents rarely adhere to the new parenting techniques that Americans LOVE, like never saying 'no' or imposing rules on their child. So they yell more.
2. French people are also not too bothered about making a bad impression on strangers whereas Americans will bendover backwards to be friendly to someone they've never met before. So even the American parents who get mad at their kid won't yell at him in public.
I go into my daughter's maternelle to do English class with them and I tend to find the mom's normal. Actually, I feel like the biggest difference is that it seems to me that French women don't generally consider their kids the absolute center of their lives, but a part on equal footing with their marriage and their work- an attitude that I think is pretty rare in the States.
ha - i watched this clip this morning on channel 9 too and had a convo about it with my frenchie but it was along the lines of 'I bet you've sang into your hairbrush before in front of the mirror'. I missed the bit at the end though.
As for French moms, I agree with Nicole. I still think moms are moms though and not being one excludes me from a hell of a lot of chit chat, here or in the UK! Stop talking about the kids already!!!
That's why I sad "some French moms" and not "ALL French moms". :)
But I also think that what you said Nicole definitely depends on class - yes, bourgeois parents tend to expect their kids to not talk, be well-behaved etc, but I rarely saw that in Bretagne. Most of the parents I knew there were low-income and tended to feed their kids crap and let them run wild - just like their American counterparts.
I like Amel Bent.
Nicole has obviously never been to K-Mart.
Hey.. I have totally noticed that about French moms.. since I've lived here....
My fav. is Ma philosophie... Aml Bent Beautiful voice...
When I was in France I noticed parents will say things Americans would only say in the privacy of their own homes. There is something admirable about that. Let's just put it all out there.
Now I am in Italy and while some Italian parents (let's not let the dads get out of this without some gratuitous criticism!) are DEFINITELY guilty of the Special Snowflake Syndrome except here it is more like My Child is the Second Coming Syndrome, they will still smack their kids and say terrible, terrible things to them. Things I would not say to ANYONE. Even someone I don't particularly like. But then they will defend their kid to the death: He is not doing well in school because his teachers are idiots. She doesn't get along with others because all the other kids in the school have issues. He beats up his classmates because they don't understand his special form of higher intelligence, etc.
But I think there are parents who do that in the US too.
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