Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?

“Traditional” French parenting is built on a foundation of firm boundaries, strictness and punishment for misbehavior. Within these rules, children are also allowed freedom and autonomy, which some say results in both well-behaved children and stress-free parents.

In recent years, though, American-style “gentle” or “positive” parenting has gained a toehold in the country, unsettling decades of orthodoxy about the best way to raise a French child. It has prompted a fierce debate, with both sides accusing the other of being harmful.

In today’s episode, Madeleine Schwartz, a journalist who lives in Paris, talks with Michael Barbaro about the dispute over parenting styles in France and what it says about the eternal search for the “right” way to raise children.

On Today’s Episode:

Madeleine Schwartz is a journalist and editor in Paris.

Background Reading:

Did American-Style ‘Gentle Parenting’ Spoil French Children?

Art Credit: Illustration by Kimberly Elliott

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