The French connection

LIKE children the world over, French youngsters can be badly behaved, sleep poorly, eat fussily and have tantrums.

But such behaviour is not the norm, insists author Pamela Druckerman. After bringing up three young children in the country, she firmly believes that the French style of parenting is more pleasurable and easier than the Irish way.

She says the more relaxed Gallic style of child-rearing achieves the results many Irish parents struggle for — and she wants to share her knowledge of their methods with parents this side of the Channel.