French ex-pat living in US points out a major difference between French and American parents

Parenting styles vary from country to country. So it's not unusual for an ex-pat to notice the difference between how children are raised in their native country compared to the one they are residing in at the moment. There are countless ways in which children are brought up around the world and one woman pointed out the contrast between an American parent and a French parent.

TikTok user @hellofrenchnyc, who happens to be a French teacher living in the US, creates content on the social media platform to highlight the differences between American and French cultures and mostly their parenting techniques. In a recent video posted by Jourdan which has gained over 300,000 views so far, she acts like two mothers from France and America and represents the generalized parenting style of these two countries. In the first clip, Cecilia Jourdan imitates an American parent who when receiving a drawing from their child, immediately starts praising the kid.

"Aww, this is beautiful! Honey, look at Emma's drawing! We gotta put you in art school! Mommy will put this on the fridge. Thank you. Thank you, my little artist!" Jourdan says while acting like most American moms. Then, in the next clip, she turns into a French mom who is seen sipping some wine and reading a book as her child hands her a drawing once again. But this time, the scenario is different. "Oh, it’s cute. What is it?" the French mom asks, looking a tad bit confused. "A rabbit? It’s a good start. It’s not bad."

Instead of showering the kid with praise like the American mom, the French mother flashes a smile and drops some criticism on the childish art piece. "Listen, bring your pencils so I’ll show you how to draw real bunny ears and also add a body," the French mother says while offering to teach her child. Many parents on TikTok found this video extremely relatable as some appreciated the honest parenting style of the French mom whereas others claimed that it was a bit too harsh.

"I’ve noticed many differences between how French and American parents raise their kids," Jourdan wrote in the viral video’s elaborate caption. "One salient difference is how American parents tend to encourage their children a lot and praise their accomplishments, even the tiny ones while French parents are less congratulatory and have a more up-front approach. There are, of course, caveats when comparing these two parenting styles. Each country has many variations, and kids may receive very different upbringings. However, as a French native who grew up in Paris, raised by French parents and spent her adult life in the US, I’ve realized that the kind of feedback kids receive from adults not just parents, but also teachers, is quite different in each country."

At the end of the long caption, she wrote that she wishes to "know people's thoughts about parenting and would love to learn from their experiences!" In the comments section, @kayhansedar wrote: "I'll take French parenting. It's honest and real." @hotsauce628 commented: "I’m currently the American version but really see the value in the French approach. It focuses more on continual improvement and honesty. Fantastic."

One person even joked that their mom would have "thrown out the art immediately." At the end of the day, whatever the parenting style may be, it's all good as long as it is contributing to the cognitive and social growth of a child.