French Thing or Boy Thing?

Let me preface this post by sayikng that I'm going to be a terrible mother.

I mention this because as we speak, Mr. Yann is lying in bed, groaning and moaning due to some kind of illness. It may be Malaria. It may be the Bubonic Plague. Or it could just be a sore throat and fatigue after a long week. Hmmm it's a toss-up.

And while I have been a supportive, understanding and loving fiancé (of course!) - making miso soup, searching Paris for the best kind of fruit juice available that might allay his aches and pains - the groaning continues.

We are on hour 50 of the Bubonic Plague.

All this moaning and groaning got me to thinking of cultural differences and gender differences. Is this a French thing or a man thing? Do men usually groan and moan this much when they are sick?

You see, the French (and dare I say it, Parisians) are notorious for their querulous ways. 60 degrees outside calls for a few grunts, a long frown and scarf around the neck - so cold! A long line equates to several impatient taps of the toe, long sighs of agitation and eye rolling - it's taking FOREVER. A bad meal...ouf, let's not even go there.

I am not saying that Yann fits this mold of distraught, 'pity-me' Frenchman. Rather, he's quite different from this picture.

So much so that I think I have been halfway unaware that yes, there may be some cultural differences between the boy and I (what? really!?). And when you throw in the whole gender thing, I may as well be living in the Amazon. I have no idea if I am even heading in the right direction as I swipe away the large rainforest leaves and cut down trees to clear my path. I mean that figuratively of course. Save the trees!

So as Yann lies down, dead to the world. Am I to think that his groaning and moaning is due to his being French, or is this a man thing?

I tend to think that most women are strong, tough and can tackle the aches and pains of illness while also running errands, folding the laundry and taking the dog for a walk. But this is just limited to my experience. What can I say, I'm surrounded by strong women and I am a slight shadow compared to them.

As I tackle the cultural differences between Yann and I, there will be many tests, like the one I am facing today.

There will be many deep breaths, silent nods of understanding and pats on the back. And I will try my darndest to keep from saying "Just suck it up already!!"