Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?

About this episode

<p>“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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>On Today’s Episode:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.madeleineschwartz.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Madeleine Schwartz</strong></a> is a journalist and editor in Paris.</p> <p><strong>Background Reading:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/magazine/american-parenting-french-children.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Did American-Style ‘Gentle Parenting’ Spoil French Children?</a></p> <p>Art Credit: Illustration by Kimberly Elliott</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>