Parentalité: Parenting in France

Is it hard to move to a foreign country, build community, raise kids? The short answer is yes, but it's worth it. Parentalitè co-hosts Joelle Benoliel and Rachelle Chapman discuss the art of community building with Jeffrey Paul Coleman . Jeffrey is a career coach, family man and co-host of the Papas in Paris podcast . We talk with Jeffrey about fatherhood in France, multiculturalism and staying co...

There is a forest school in France! Parentalité hosts Joelle Benoliel, Rachelle Chapman interview 🎙️ Garrett Smith founder of the Wander and Wonder Nature Club about forest schooling or nature schooling 🍃, the concept, where it came from and bringing it to France. Garrett lead forest school programs across the United States and Europe for many years before him and his family settled in France. Hi...

School is in session on this episode of Parentalité as hosts Joelle Benoliel, Rachelle Chapman and Meg Gerner chat with our guest Derek Ferguson, Scottish dad and director of The Roaming Schoolhouse . TRS offers after-school enrichment, spoken entirely in English, for bilingual students. We discuss the evolution of TRS, and its mission to make learning in English fun and engaging. We also touch on...

These are a few of our favorite things! Paris can be a great place in winter with kids IF you know where to look for things to do! Joelle Benoliel, Rachelle Chapman, and producer ARBL Murray talk about some of their favorite things to do during the holidays with kids from toddler to teen. To find out more about Message Paris go to: https://www.messageparis.org To find out more about WRP or Donate...

On this episode of Parentalité we talk about the science and culture of raising bilingual children. Sarah (Cheang) Oudet a researcher in the field of autism, bilingualism, and both cognitive and communicative development. As someone who is also raising bilingual kids in France she is uniquely qualified to demystify some of our questions and assumptions around learning multiple languages in general...

This Fall on Parentalité, we are celebrating Diwali with Indian Pastry Chef Anshita Gupta. Anshita is classically trained in French pastry but decided to worlk in Indian pastries and American style layered cakes. Anshita tells us all about what it is like to reinvent your career during motherhood, she started in tech and left that field for baking! We talk about what it’s like living as an expat f...

In this episode of Parentalité, Joelle Benoliel interviews Self-Care Strategist Kleidi Jeen about how to regulate your nervous system in the face of starting a business, being a parent, living in Paris, and keeping yourself mentally healthy . We learn about Kleidi’s journey from Louisiana to Paris, and with Joelle she goes over a few strategies and practices to ward off overwhelm. Kleidi is a “Sel...

In France coming back to school, and back to work after the summer vacation is a very important time of year. The French refer to this part of the year as “ rentrée .” We decided to take a deep dive into the French school system with Romy Treneer who raised two children in Paris while teaching in the French university system before embarking on a career in the corporate sector. French schooling is...

In this episode, we learn about the history of the parks and playgrounds in Paris with special guest Adam Levy , who talks about the idea behind creating play centered spaces through-out the age of industry. Later, Joelle , Rachelle , and Meg , talk about their favorite parks and picnic spots in Paris. For those with kids or just looking for a great place to picnic “like a Parisian,” enjoy the sec...

On this episode of Parentalité, Joelle Benoliel visits the wonderful, magical, anglophone bookshop for kids and talks with the owner and founder, Penelope Fletcher. Just adjacent to Jardin du Luxembourg, The Red Balloon is the kid focused section of The Red Wheelbarrow and is a haven for little readers and their parents to come, learn, pick out books, and build community. Penelope raised her child...

In this episode of Parentalité Joelle, Meg, and Rachelle, talk with Christine Siler about Menopause. Christine (Tina) is a menopause policy advocate and is changing the way women, men, doctors, and families see menopause. In some cultures it was regarded as a sacred time when a women transitioned into a wiser peaceful keeper of the community, now many fear and dread it. Tina is working to change t...

On this episode of Parentalité we talk about the French way of reading and storytelling with children. First, Meg Gerner chats with Oliver Gee and Lina Nordin Gee, the parent duo responsible for the popular podcast The Earful Tower , about their series of children’s books which all feature precocious animal characters who galavant around Paris. Lena talks about being a creative mom with a toddler...

On this episode of Parentalité, we meet Joelle Benoliel, an American mom living in the heart of Paris. She is a communications coach and talks with Rachelle Chapman and ARBL Murray about navigating the cultural differences between French and American lifestyles. We talk about old French Christmas traditions, Hanukah, and French holiday cinema. Episode Notes and Recommendations: Films: Santa Claus...

This episode is all about HALLOWEEN ! We talk about French traditions, the Invasion of American Halloween. We talk about the best spooky French movies. Adam Levy tells a scary ghost story set in the Tuileries Gardens of Paris, and we interview Trick or Treaters at Message Paris’ annual Spooktackular event. In the past 30 years or so, as more English speaking people settle in France, Late-20th-cent...