I've purposefully shied away from so many parenting books on the bookstore shelves these days. It seems like most of those geared toward pregnancy put you in a mild panic about all the things that could go wrong. And the rest? They induce a sense of fear, guilt and inferiority that, book lover though I am, I don't want to gravitate toward as I enjoy this stress-free pregnancy of mine.

BUT...I'd heard a lot of discussion about this particular book and I have to say, if it ends up being the ONLY book on parenting I read in the lead-up to my child's birth this fall, I'm better off for having made the choice.

For some quick background, the author is an American who finds herself living with her British husband in Paris at the time of their daughter's birth. Experiencing motherhood herself, Druckerman witnesses firsthand the differences in how the French families around her are raising their children and the ways in which she's drawn to the modern-day, American style of parenting she's most familiar with.

But that's the thing—this modern version of American parenting? ATTACHMENT parenting, as they call it? It's the antithesis of the way the French do it and, I believe, the way Americans USED to parent, 30 to 40 years ago. (In short, I think it's all a bit nutty).

I borrowed a library copy of this book but intend to purchase my own, as I dog-earred so many pages (a guilty habit of mine!) that I want to review it again in full at my own leisure.

Some wonderful parenting concepts explored inside the book, a favorite being this idea known as The Pause, or letting your infant child lay in his/her crib for 5-10 minutes and fuss before stepping in to see if there is a wet diaper or empty belly as the root cause of the problem. As the French have learned (and Druckerman provides research to support), infants need to teach themselves to fall back asleep—it's a learning process. But because Americans are so quick to jump in and intervene, it's a key reason why they set their children up to be unable to sleep through the night at 8, 9 or 10 months old.

Other major takeaways touch on the emphasis the French put on establishing a "cadre" or framework of discipline and responsibility for their children; the importance of manners (it's not just please and thank you but hello and goodbye for the French); instilling a child's independence (ie, not hovering over them on the playground) and teaching them how to behave at the dinner table, all the while eating food that vastly trumps our "chicken tenders friendly" U.S. kids' menus.

Some may balk at Druckerman's writing or the book's subject material, but I couldn't help but fall madly in love with these concepts. I've grown SO accustomed to seeing American children be the center of their parents' universe (constantly interrupting them in conversations, engaging their parents in their meltdowns at the dinner table) that it was a refreshing change of course to read about a culture where THAT kind of behavior is abnormal. A culture unafraid to teach its children patience ("You must teach your children frustration" is a French parenting maxim that I whole-heartedly endorse). How little of that is happening in America these days. And, as a result, not only do we have a nation of ill-behaved kids, but one for which overstressed parents are paying the price.

I am so determined not to join that rat race style of parenting — and so this is a book I intend to come back and consult in the years to come.