French word of the day: L’Enfant Roi
Published: 17 October 2024
It was beautiful sunny Wednesday in la région parisienne yesterday, so wonderfully warm that mes enfants (my kids) were excited to go outside without their ski jackets. (Yes, cold snap + rain = ski jackets for everyone. And you might have guessed it, I say this because of course today it is grey and raining in Paris, with a “moderate flood” warning.)
But speaking of yesterday, did you know that most young kids in France don’t have school on Wednesday? It is supposed to be the “day of recuperation and extra-curricular activities”. (The government did try to change the law a few years ago to half-day school Wednesdays, but as with most things, French people protested and most towns reverted back to the Wednesdays-holiday schedule.)
So how do parents manage these no-school Wednesdays, you may be wondering? Well, isn’t that why laptops and internet hotspots were invented? No seriously, I have no clue what French office-workers did before laptops, and what everyone who doesn’t work on a computer does. Yes it is a real struggle to decide between:
- taking the kids around yourself,
- hiring a sitter, or
- sticking them in a wednesday leisure center and say “screw extracurriculars!”
Along with many other parents in our neighborhood, I have found that that work computer is actually ok sitting poolside during swim class. As long as you shield the keyboard with a towel from any soggy children, that is.
Anyway, so there we were, in the sun, in our usual Wednesday routine, frantically trying to make it on time to sports, library, and music class. Quel bonheur! A big improvement over last week, where I was standing under a giant oak tree in the pouring rain, trying to take an important phone call while waiting for music class to finish.
In all honesty, I was not sold on this Wednesday-holiday when I first moved to France, before having kids. But there is a logic to grouping all the extra-curriculars together so that we’re not running around so much on the other days of the week.
It also means that on the other days, kids are in school until 4:30pm with enough after school programs to cater to working office hours. And the Wednesdays make a nice mid-week break to change pace and spend time together when everyone is not so tired. Something to consider adopting in other countries?
Before I get too carried away with rhapsodizing about the joys of quality time with the kids, I should note that school holidays start this Saturday and the kids have the next 2 weeks off. Well then.
In other news:
- Lame duck President Emmanuel Macron is flailing after losing his majority, and his latest great idea is to stop the series Emily in Paris from going to Rome: “We are going to fight. And we are going to ask them to stay in Paris! Emily in Paris in Rome… it doesn’t make sense.”
- European Court of Justice has struck down France’s ban on the food label “vegetable steak”. The French govt. thought the word “steak” would confuse people thinking they were eating meat, and the EU court of Justice said, “huh? how dumb are your people?”
- Paris is getting a 2nd football (soccer) club! Or rather, the owners of luxury brand LVMH are buying Paris FC, a small Ligue 2 club. Football fans are hoping they will pour money into to eventually compete with the Qatar-owned Paris Saint Germain FC. I mean, with free Louis Vuitton swag à la volonté, what footballer is going to turn that down?
And in the blog:
French people may celebrate Halloween rather tepidly, but this holiday actually originated with the Celts in ancient Gaul in France.
55 Famous French songs that defined pop culture
Get the countdown of the famous French songs that have stood the test of time to remain instantly recognizable.
A classic with a twist, this salmon spinach quiche is easy to make in advance and serve any time of the day.