Parents on the edge of a nervous breakdown | France 2 | Envoyé Spécial

Mother is burned out, father is exhausted, the adults feel incapable of imposing their authority on their children… When certain parents lose their bearings it can quickly turn to helplessness, intensified by social or family isolation, pressures of everyday life, or a divorce. When exhaustion hovers, when the feeling of rejecting one’s children sets in, when violent words or actions seem the only solution, to whom do you turn? Such a question is taboo. In Nantes, there is a place that is unique in France where overwhelmed parents can express themselves: “The Buttered Noodles” association, created by psychologist, Sophie Marinopoulos, 15 years ago. In the kitchen of an apartment, around a table with a cup of coffee, she and her colleagues encourage such mothers and fathers to talk about their doubts and their anxieties without fear of being judged. For three months we followed the progress of several families.