Question

what is the direct speech of But she says western methods of parenting are too lax

Answer 1

The direct speech of the given sentence in question is as shown below:

She says, "But the western methods of parenting are too lax."

or

She said, "But the western methods of parenting are too lax."

When we convert an indirect speech into direct speech, we use the structure as shown above in the two sentences using quotation marks.