Is American Parenting the Problem? Or Is It Parenting *in* America?

About this episode

The episode explores the challenges of American parenting compared to other cultures and the societal pressures that contribute to parental stress.

We're often told that the American style of parenting is inferior—that we're doing it all wrong compared to, say, a laissez-faire Parisian whose kids eat whatever is served. But is it our too intense/ too lax/ too snack-heavy parenting style that is making us (and our kids) so stressed? Or is it where we're doing that parenting? In this episode, we explore the forces shaping parenting in America today, and the ways in which other countries offer parents more support. From the pressure to “do it all” to the lack of community support, we examine how our American struggles may be rooted in American ideals. There's no doubt cultural expectations can shape our parenting decisions, leading to the "intensive parenting" that's so easy for others to criticize. But there's plenty about our circumstances as American parents that makes things harder. Our friend Janelle Hanchett (whose writing inspired this episode) was exactly right when she wrote: "As much as we may in the US give lip-service to universal healthcare, parental leave, labor rights, and childcare subsidies as key tenets of good parenting, just below these assertions is the implication that if American parents simply tried…

People in this episode

Hosts: Margaret Ables, Amy Wilson

Topics covered

• American parenting
• cultural expectations
• parenting support
• intensive parenting
• community support
• parental stress

Keywords

• parenting styles
• cultural comparison
• parental support
• stress in parenting
• American ideals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American, Parisian

More episodes of What Fresh Hell: Parenting, Relationships, and Making Life Better, with Two Funny Moms

• Can We Make Youth Sports Fun Again? · September 9, 2026 · 42 min
• DEEP DIVE: When Kids Fight You on Everything · September 7, 2026 · 42 min
• BEST OF: How to Make the Back-to-School Transition a Little Easier · September 4, 2026 · 40 min
• Overfunctioning · September 2, 2026 · 42 min
• DEEP DIVE: Jennifer Wallace on Achievement Pressure · August 31, 2026 · 33 min
• Fresh Take: Dr. Stuart Slavin on The Pressures Causing Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout in Our Kids · August 28, 2026 · 39 min