Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?
The Daily
08/09/26
•39m
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“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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Next Episode
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For years, cancer has been seen as a disease people mostly get when they’re older. That seems to be changing as more young people are getting cancer than ever before.
Today, Nina Agrawal, a health reporter for The New York Times, explains what scientists are learning about the factors driving the rise and what it means for a generation of young cancer survivors.
Guest: Nina Agrawal, a health reporter for The New York Times.
Background reading:
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Photo: Leah Nash for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
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