S5 Ep: 8 Parenting (Not Quite) à la Français with Rosie Clifton

In this episode, I’m in conversation with another pal of mine,
Rosie Clifton. The goal of this episode was to talk about French
parenting styles vs British, or even more broadly, Anglo-Saxon
parenting styles. And while we did touch on that, the two biggest
and most important lessons I took away from this chat were that I
really need to CHILL THE F OUT and appreciate just living in
France.


As you’ve probably figured out, overthinking is my superpower. I
had many questions about being a parent in France, raising French
kids, and preconceived notions about how hard it must be. Rosie’s
approach was just kinda like listen, you’re here, you’re you, you
have to be confident with what you’re transmitting and who you
are and tout va bien (everything is gonna be okay), which is so
true and can be applied to many aspects of life. Especially
living in France.


After you’ve been living in France for a while It’s easy to make
sly comments about French people and the country but the fact of
the matter is that it’s not a terrible place to live, despite how
it may seem due to the recent strikes, and there are a lot of
benefits that come with living in a country with a strong social
welfare system and a history of fighting for it. The main benefit
is that you can enjoy life and spend quality time with your
friends, family, and half-French children if you have any.


Thank you Rosie for helping me view France in a different light
and easing my anxiety around my non-existent children. That said,
if I ever have any and they start getting sassy with me in French
I’m sending them your way. And thanks for putting up with me in
the group chat too.