A few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal published a piece on parenting that caused a stir among its readers. Though I cannot speak to the virtues of French parenting, I think anyone who spends much time in restaurants or other public places is familiar with the flaws of "American" parenting that Druckerman highlights (and they can be embarrassing). The solution Druckerman suggests has a sort of intuitive quality, particularly when the problem is so glaring: American parents often lack authority with their children.

Today, parents often see it as their role to be their child's friend rather than their authority, and unsurprisingly, children treat them like they are peers. This, in turn, has led to a view of parenting in the US that Druckerman does a good job of highlighting, and we've all heard it voiced loudly; "Parenting is miserable," "I can't wait until they graduate," etc. It should be obvious that this doesn't do much to foster a good family environment, and it becomes cyclical.

This is also unfortunate when we consider that the Bible speaks of children as a blessing to their parents and vice versa. The question is, how do we reclaim that? Druckerman at least puts us on the right path.