Is 'Gentle Parenting' Ruining French Children?

温柔育儿是否正在毁掉法国的孩子?

The Daily

2026-08-09

39 分钟

单集简介 ...

“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 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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  • From New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro.

  • This is The Daily on Sunday.

  • In France, the question of how best to raise children has long seemed like a settled matter.

  • After all, the country's reputation for strict parenting is revered for its results.

  • Well-behaved children who, from toddlerdom, clean their plates right down to the strong, smelly cheese.

  • But a new generation of French parents are questioning those methods, adopting a gentler, more American approach,

  • and igniting a fierce national debate that has both sides accusing the other of being harmful to kids.

  • Today, my conversation with reporter Madeline Schwartz on why this subject has become so divisive in France

  • and what it tells us about the eternal search for the right way to raise children.

  • It's Sunday, August 9th.

  • Madeline Schwartz, welcome to the Sunday Daily.

  • Hi, it's nice to be here.

  • So you are based in Paris.