Forty, it has been said, is ‘the age when we become who we are.’ But does it ever feel like everyone – except you – is a proper adult? Do you wonder how real grown-ups get to be so mysteriously capable and wise?

When she was turning forty, Pamela Druckerman, author of the bestselling French Children Don’t Throw Food and described by Allison Pearson as ‘the heir to [Nora Ephron’s] impish … spirit and adorable storytelling’, wondered whether her mind would ever catch up with her face.

Pamela Druckerman is the author of the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller French Children Don’t Throw Food which has been published into twenty-seven languages. She is a Contributing Opinion Writer at The New York Times and an Emmy Award winning documentary producer. She lives in Paris with her English husband and their children.

Natasha Lehrer is an award-winning writer and translator who lives in Paris.