Psychologist causes stir in France after denouncing ‘soft parenting’

A psychologist has come under fierce criticism in France after criticizing American-inspired gentle parenting.

Caroline Goldman believes a ‘baby uprising’ is happening in the European country due to the parenting style, because it encourages parents to give their children an understanding and respect for discipline exceed.

The French child and adolescent psychologist has become a controversial figure for her ideas – which include punishing misbehaving children from an early age with time out, according to where the child is put into the bedroom without any equipment or toys.

According to The Times, mother of four Caroline even punished one of her children with this method when they were just 10 months old.

She also faced criticism for her opinion that some children are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (ADHD), which should instead be classified as ‘poorly educated’.

Another point she makes is that single parents will have difficulty successfully disciplining their children unless there is a second adult there to help.

She said: ‘There is one [parent] the person taking care of the child, the recipient of the negotiating effort – “yes but I want more tablet time” or “I want a second dessert” – and you just need a voice nearby to say, ‘No, no, no, let’s do what the first adult says,’ to get this situation straightened out.’

The psychologist – whose father is singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, who is extremely famous in the French-speaking world – advised single parents to ask relatives for help.

But her methods have caused a wave of protest in France, with 280 psychologists, doctors and child development experts condemning Caroline’s idea of ​​overfeeding children in an open letter published in Le Monde in March.

‘This practice is a wonderful illustration of ageism,’ child psychologist Hlose Junier, one of the signatories, said in an interview, The Washington Post reported.

‘The tendency for us adults to do to children what we would not do to other adults, such as forcing them to eat all their food, isolating them in their room when they break the rules, or forcing them to they kiss adults on the face. mother when greeting them.”

But despite the backlash from critics, Caroline’s book File dans ta chambre! (Go to Your Bedroom!) is a bestseller and her podcast, soon to be translated into English, is widely listened to.

She told The Times: ‘What I observe is that children are suffering from too much freedom, which makes them miserable and does not prepare them for the good manners that help social relationships develop ‘.

The expert also discussed her opinion that the list of neurodevelopmental disorders does not include children who suffer from ‘too much freedom’.

She said this was not helping the children because their ‘relationship disorders and distress were going untreated’.

‘What I’ve observed is that these general diagnoses, which I find extremely vague, sometimes include issues of educational limitations that are not identified because the poorly raised child doesn’t exist. in any environment. [classification],’ she speaks.