American mom living in Paris reveals 5 key differences between parenting in the U.S. and France

Parenting styles and methods vary in each country. While some countries believe in raising the kids strictly with discipline, others have a laid-back approach. So, parents can be stunned by the cultural differences when they leave their nation. This is what happened with Annabel, an American mom, who spent a few months in France with her toddler. On her Instagram page @wearemorethanmoms, which she runs with her best friend, she posted a video highlighting the difference between raising a kid in America and France. 

"I am genuinely curious about the motherhood/parenting culture in Paris. It’s a mix of fascination and curiosity vs glorification and comparison to the US. I realize some of these are generalizations, but these are some things I’ve noticed while living here and immersing myself in the culture," Annabel wrote in the caption of her video. Then she proceeded to mention the five key differences between being a parent in America versus in Paris. Annabel noted that the first thing French parents do is not worry about entertaining their children. They don't worry about it because they make sure to include their kids in the day-to-day activities like running errands or visiting cafes.

French parents believe that it teaches their kids crucial life lessons. The second difference she mentioned is the superior quality of baby products that are sold in France. She also highlighted a major difference in eating habits. She added that the children in France do not snack on processed food. They get three meals each day along with a goûter (a light meal) in the afternoon. Annabel also pointed out how French moms use travel strollers everywhere instead of normal-sized strollers. The last thing that she noted was how French society is less judgemental towards parents who are returning to work after having a baby or how and when they are feeding their little ones.

Talking with HuffPost, the mom disclosed the actual reason behind her love for the French way of parenting. “Day-to-day in Paris we would see kids sitting quietly (with no screens) while their parents ate meals and engaged in quality time together. Kids would play independently while their parents socialized at the park or worked on their computer at a coffee shop,” Annabel revealed. “Clean products were readily available at pharmacies and grocery stores, were at an accessible price point, and were less processed than mainstream products found in the U.S."

She also loves the concept of a goûter because kids eat well-balanced, nutritious meals and also get to have their goûter, which promotes the concept of no restrictions and everything in moderation. “I spoke to a lot of French moms about the societal pressures they felt around breastfeeding, going back to work, taking time for self-care, etc. They shared that they did not feel pressure to parent a certain way. They just did what felt right for them and their family. Judgment/comparison (of others and themselves) wasn’t something they engaged in at all,” Annabel concluded. “I felt that French culture was a lot more laid back and that French society put less pressure on moms to be/act a certain way.”

The comments section of her video was full of curious people from all over the world who wanted to know more about the differences in raising kids in France and America. @_chaa0s_ commented, "Gouter is something everyone can enjoy and a healthy approach to snacking. As a 20-year-old it's still my little good break of the day and I love sharing it with my little brother!" @amel.drg wrote, "Mom's guilt and pressure are here though. But probably not as much/in the same way as in the US."

You can follow Annabel and Dale (@wearemorethanmoms) for more content on motherhood.