A successful French psychologist is sparking outcry over her claims that children as young as one should be sent to their rooms, single parents cannot impose discipline and some attention disorders are just “bad parenting practices”.

A psychologist has been the subject of strong criticism in France after denouncing American-inspired “gentle parenting”.

Caroline Goldman believes that a “child insurrection” is occurring in the European country due to parenting style, as it encourages parents to provide their children with excessive understanding and respect.

The French child and adolescent psychologist has become a controversial figure due to her ideas, which include punishing misbehaving children from the age of one with time-outs, during which the child is sent in his room without any devices or toys.

Caroline, a mother of four, even punished one of her own children with this method when they were just ten months old, according to the Times.

She is also criticized for her idea that some children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), should instead be classified as “badly behaved.” “.

Another idea she offers is that single parents will have difficulty disciplining their child unless a second adult is there to help.

She said: “There is one [parent] who takes care of the child, who receives the attempts at negotiation – “yes but I want more time on the tablet” or “I want a second dessert” – and all it takes is a side voice to say “No, no, no, do what the first adult says, “so that the situation can be resolved”.

The psychologist, whose father is the singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, very popular in the French-speaking world, suggests that single parents rely on the help of a loved one.

But despite negative reactions from its critics, Caroline’s book (above) Go to your room! (Go to Your Bedroom!) is a bestseller and its podcast, soon to be translated into English, is widely listened to

But her methods sparked an outcry in France, where 280 psychologists, doctors and child development experts denounced Caroline’s idea for children so young in an open letter published in Le Monde in March.

“This practice is an excellent illustration of ageism,” said child psychologist Hlose Junier, one of the signatories, in an interview reported by the Washington Post.

“The tendency we have, as adults, to do things to children that we would not do to other adults, such as forcing them to finish their meal, isolating them in their room when they have broken a rule or force them to kiss adults on the sidewalk.” plays while greeting them.

But despite the negative reactions of its critics, Caroline’s book Go to your room! (Go to Your Bedroom!) is a bestseller and his podcast, soon to be translated into English, is widely listened to.

She told the Times: “What I observe is that children suffer from having too much freedom, which makes them anxious and which does not prepare them for the good manners which help social relationships to flourish. “

The expert also discussed his idea that the list of neurodevelopmental disorders does not include children suffering from “too many freedoms.”

According to her, this does not help the children because “their relational problems and their suffering are not treated”.

“What I observe is that these large catch-all diagnoses, which I find extremely vague, are sometimes composed of problems of educational limits which are not identified because the poorly behaved child does not exist in any country. [classification],’ she says.