A Day in Paris

Monday, November 15, 2004

India Is Far Away

My son is studying Asia and UNESCO World Heritage sites at school this year. He is in CE 1, the equivalent of second grade. At the beginning of the year the teacher told us he'd go on a few short field trips. Today was his first field trip/sortie to an art place in the 12th. He was going to study Indian Dance and Chinese Calligraphy. All this past week he's been saying, "I'm going to L'Inde next week." I didn't pay much attention to it until this morning. He really thought he was taking a trip to India. He couldn't understand why we weren't more excited and why he didn't need an overnight bag for the trip. After all, it is far away. I finally took out a map and explained that indeed India is far away -- too far away for a class trip. After school he told me it was still a very long bus trip to get to where he was going today. Yeah right.
My daughter had a lunch date today with her two friends. She complained this morning to my husband that she didn't want to go and we were worried she was going to have another screaming fit going into the classroom today. But once we walked into the school hallway she was silent about the lunch. When I picked her up after school she said she had a great time and confessed she'd told her father she didn't want to go, but "I was just kidding." Kids always want to keep you on your toes.
A bit of a concern.... I've been enjoying this lunch thing where Natalie invites two friends over and then they invite each other over in the next two weeks. However, the mother today decided three was not enough and invited two more friends -- boys at that! The mother for next week said she wanted to invite five friends over for lunch. Ugh! She also told me what she's planning to serve next week ... green beans, pasta, veal scallops, apples, yoghurt and chocolate mousse for dessert. I'm starting to get nervous because the bar keeps getting raised. I'm waiting for someone to hand out parting gifts...

-- said Auntie M in Paris
10:21 PM

6 comments

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Comments:

The lunch thing sounds like it is getting out of control. It is like when my friend and her husband were living in Newport Beach, California for two years. They could not get over the huge, elaborate, birthday parties parents were throwing for their 1 year olds. The parties were obviously much more for the parents than they were for the kids, because what 1 year old is going to remember all of that.

I just think some people have too much time and too much money on their hands.

# posted by Anonymous : 9:43 AM

I'm embarrassed to say that, when in second grade, I too once thought I was taking a class field trip to another country. When I found out we weren't, I made my parents take me there. Just kidding.

# posted by DC-Giant : 2:46 PM

First of all, what school is your son going to? Is it one of those private academies that are guaranteed to get your children into ivy league? That sounds incredible. Gosh, in second grade I think my big highlight was doing art with chocolate fudge, and eating all the fudge...leaving a spot, and being called an artist. Scarring, those grade 2 experiences.

As for the lunch business, pathetic what some parents do when they're bored. It's too true that parents get carried away with their own self-image. Kids just want something yummy, easy and fast to eat. If your kid is being a prat and asks for the caviar, you know it's sad. Next time you should offer them grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. (of course homemade with real cheese on egg bread, canned Campbell's tomato soup)

# posted by NARDAC : 2:58 PM

Where to start. I completely agree that the lunch thing is getting out of hand. The other mothers have full time help, so I guess they can have 6 kids over for 90 minutes of lunch. To me that sounds crazy and I won't do it.
My children go to a bi-lingual school that is private but gets money from the government so it is a French school, abiding by all French laws and rules. The people that attend my school vary in background, but I assure you, mothers with kids at some of the truly private schools have much larger wallets. I really never saw this lunch escalation coming.

# posted by Auntie M in Paris : 7:54 PM

I haven't followed your blog for very long only long enough to know that you are an American and have kids in the French schools. It is an interesting read - the education part as my son is in a French bilingual school in the US and there are lots of similarities in your descriptions of the schools/events etc. And his school does follow the edicts of the French requirements of education -so if you come to the US to live, go for a school that is supported by the French government, eg: a bilingual school and they will acclimate easily. It is a good education too.

# posted by Anonymous : 4:11 AM

I am interested in French schools for when we return to the US. Do you like your school? Do mostly French children go there?

# posted by Auntie M in Paris : 8:16 AM