Gem's Guide to French Women Continued...
3. Older French women are very similar to their younger counterparts. If you're younger, you probably won't be spending much time with them--or so you think! In reality, French mothers are Latin mothers, big on family time and invested in their children (even if the "child" is 20, 30, or 40).
Advice: Again, patience is a virtue! Compliment their food, admire their houses, and they will love you. Oh yeah--and laugh at their jokes.
What would any guide be without personal anecdotes of failure? I have not always been able to follow my own advice.
If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you already know that Belle-maman is a really great mother-in-law. I don't know if I got lucky or if I just managed to follow all of my own advice. The only time I failed involved her teaching me table manners. She told me not to cut my lettuce with a knife, and I got upset. Who was she to be teaching me etiquette? I responded curtly, she became defensive, and I realized that she was just acting like a mother. She would have told Jube or le Pacha the same thing she told me.
Don't Tune Out Yet! Tomorrow the Final Installment of this Incredible Saga!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Gneralizations.
Plus, everyone likes people to compliment their food. You do too.
True! Another argument for the "French women are people too" camp!
Remember, this /is/ GEM's guide, so it's all my opinion.
Nice series you've written! I had a great not-quite-mother-in-law too, she's adorable. We're actually still in touch even though I've not seen the ex in three years!
Post a Comment