To feel depressed that exW took DSSs to Miami

[Bonsoir]

for a fortnight at Christmas and for them to have come back having gained a huge new Abercrombie & Fitch wardrobe and 4kgs apiece?

Oh give me a break.
I live in Paris.
I have never ever met a parent with such an attitude towards his children.
French kids are skinnier than English or American ones because there is still a culture of appreciating properly cooked food ( although that is sadly changing), and not because French parents are starving their kids into size zero.
What a load of bollocks.

I'd rather be overweight than a joyless control freak. FFS weight issues are so freaking boring!

Bonsoir you aren't evil but you are madder than jam and I think this time, yes I can see you sailing right over a shark.

LaughedHerSocksOffTiggaxx

Totally agree winnybella with your post. The French have 3 good meals per day, children have a gouter (snack) after school, and in generally they do not graze on things outside meal times. That is why children are skinnier in France.

There is a tendancy, however, for some obsession over weight (and I do think many women are dangerously thin because they cross the line from healthy eating to starving themselves)I wonder if Anna's DP has ever had (or still has) any eating disorders to take such a severe path with his children

This thread really isn't about weight

What about mad as cheese?

snake
mad as snakes

mad as a bucket of spiders?

mad as Thatcher.

I don't live in France anymore, but my brother still does.

The attitude towards my nieces and nephews potential bodies (considering they are still pre-teens) does make me wonder, sometimes.

Anais had a forkful of food nearly slapped out of her hand with a shocked "do you WANT to be fat?" posited at her. In England, grounds for SS, no?

But, overall, I understand and approve much more of that attitude than I do of the English mindset.

One might call it "humiliation", I call it "discipline". And I've yet to met a French child, that is ruder than an English one. I can't see how that would be possible, considering the way that the respective nations parent their children.

And Winnybella, I can't believe that you have never met a (French) parent that would not shudder at their child being decked out in American apparel and being 10 kgs overweight - really?

you OBV dont live in a tourist spot in England then
HORDES of them with no regard for the rest of the people on the streets

LOLOLOL at you Eaudevie.

What ALL French children? And ALL English ones?

I met an incredibly rude French child last year. He stayed in my house and made the biggest mess.

He was slim though. Not sure if his bollcks were squashed however.

You don't sound like you have ever been to Linmoge - plenty of fat, badly dressed, surly French children there.

ooh and lots of bad HAMMER PANts and crochet jumpers

Ummmm it hasnt actually been said that these children ARE overweight, just that they have gained 4kg, they may still be a reasonable weight!
IIRC the 12 year old was 9 stonish which is well within an average weight for that age and a 4kg gain would almost certainly not push him into obesity!

Sorry this is not about culture or even weight really, its about a nasty controlling bully of a man I think, and his very sad partner colluding and excusing him!

Oh come on, there are loads of rude, loud, annoying French kids! Ophelia - know what you mean about the tourists.

I really don't see the point of making children so self-obsessed about their bodies. It's like trying to make them right boring bastards. What is the actual benefit to society of making children fear being fat? It is possible to be in the 'healthy' bracket and not bore on about it constantly. As long as someone isn't so fat that it's endangering their health (therefore placing burden on the NHS) who the fuck cares?

As a disclaimer, I am very picky about my own weight but don't give a toss about anyone else's as it is their own business, frankly.

Oh FFS eaudevie
Bonsoir's DSs gained ( supposedly) 4 kg, not 10.
A&F make regular clothes, don't they? If you look at French kids, that's what plenty of them wear,sweatshirts, jeans etc. What is wrong with that?
And, no, I have never met a parent here instilling a fear of getting fat in their kids to the extent Bonsoir and you seem to imply.

No, I live, (and work), in central London, and am accosted daily by the little (being the operative word) darlings. On balance, I find them charming.

Perhaps if one is used to the (peculiarly English) self-effacing temperament, they might appear rude. However, not to me.

Inevitably slim, though.

I only know a french woman, she is fat, unkempt, and sanctimonius. Her children are lovely, not fat, but remarkably small for their age. Their diet is nothing sophisticated, boiled vegetables and roasts, and I know for a fact she was still feeding them just pureed food until they were 2. She also gives them coffee and it is a very judgemental person regarding other people's parenting styles.

I wouldn't assume all French are like that just because I know no different. You can't judge a full nation through one person.

Hmm...how many self-effacing English women have you seen on this thread then evie?

eaudevie

"Really can't see the fuss, but have French mother, so am assuming all this outrage is fuelled by cultural difference and lack of entente cordiale.

Most French parents very vigilant about weight gain. Very different to UK and the somewhat lax attitudes - for evidence, see UK/USA obesity rates. Would expect weekly weigh in to ensure weight lost, plus vast amounts of scrutiny about diet. It is extremely different across the Channel. Being fat is such a no-no. Especially in Paris. Seen as beyond déclassé. Especially by men.

Think you seem perfectly normal to me, BA, not at all mad.But again, presume this is due to understanding the French mentality."

That is almost as bad as the load of bollocks bonsoir is posting, what a crock of shit! Some cultures and religions practice female 'circumcision', something we would class as abuse, culture does not make something NOt abuse and culture is not an excuse for abuse.

Weighing children who are not overweight or fat and forcing them to lose weight is abuse.

I really hope this whole thread is some nasty, sick wind up. Bonsoir is clearly a nasty and pathetic piece of work. One can onbly hope her ex wife has enough of a positive influence in her childrens lives to counteract the abuse they are recieving whilst with thei father. It sounds like she is far better off being this vile man's ex wife than his wife.

I think the big difference between France and the UK is that in France teaching your children to eat reasonably and healthily and to maintain an appropriate weight is generally viewed as a mainstream parenting responsibility, along with teeth brushing, washing, saying Bonjour and Au Revoir whereas in the UK parents are supposed to do a sort of unconcious crossing of fingers and hoping for the best when it comes to nutritional education and maintaining a health weight. As a result, people in the UK have little or no education about healthy eating and weight and it has become a horrible national neurosis and totally taboo topic. Hence the absolute hysteria on this thread when the taboo is uncovered...

EaudeVie - come back to France - I will happily show you many many rude French children - the children are often so controlled by their parents and the school, that once outside that environment, they really break loose! I have had one or two in my house for play dates with my daughter, and I have NEVER encountered such rudeness and insolence in all my life (and we have lived in 4 different countries with children)

Perhaps what I find rude, you, as a french person may not but trust me rude, badly behaved children are alive and kicking in France as well!!