Raising children is hard in any country.....

Recipe for the day: A little discretion, a lot of patience, quite possibly a large bacon sandwich, but definitely no horse meat........

As a newish mother (two girls, 4 and 2), I'm still learning (as if you ever know everything) how to be a good mother. Throughout my pregnancies I was constantly reminded that I was living in a foreign country and surrounded by a different culture.

Most of the time I've been able to draw from both my American heritage and my adopted French culture to find the answers and philosophies that best fit my needs when it comes to raising children. But what I am learning more and more each day is that the trials and tribulations of a mother are pretty much universal. Worries, dilemmas, confusions, they all transcend borders. It's easy as a mother to feel like you are going through things alone, but in fact every mother throughout history has probably dealt with the same issues, in one form or another, and survived.

I decided to hand out my four year old's birthday invitations today. There where only three, but trying to do it in a discreet manner without all of the other kids seeing it was a bit difficult. And I can't help feeling that I've breached some kind of birthday- invitation-etiquette with the other mothers and that there is probably a very strict French way of handling this.

We passed the horse meat seller in the square as we walked up to school this morning. As an American, this is one French delicacy I have never really gotten in to, but I think for the kids growing up here, it should be seen as a 'normal' part of their life. Should I be making horse meat hamburgers at home? I'd like to introduce my kids to as many different foods as possible, but I think it might take me awhile to get around to this one......