Mercedes Samudio, LCSW begins SHAME PROOF PARENTING by opening her personal life to the reader. Her less than perfect childhood, with its many unstable and fearful moments, left her with shame that she didn’t fully understand. Written from her experience of working many years as a family counselor, SHAME PROOF PARENTING offers nonjudgmental help for parents struggling with the difficulties of bringing up children in the modern world.
Samudio uses examples from her experiences as a counselor to illustrate her theories about the child-parent relationship. Her insights are valuable, and with her years of working with foster families, teen parents, adoptive families, and family agencies, she offers unique insight into fostering communication and building relationships within the family structure. Her theories of why communication problems may arise and how to rebuild the parent-child relationship are presented in a way that is encouraging and helpful. It’s refreshing to read a book on parenting that places the power back into the hands of parents, allowing them to discover their own unique abilities and talents.
Samudio gives parents plenty of information to create their own unique parenting manual, which she encourages. With easily understood exercises and explanations, parents are given the tools to complete a comprehensive plan for the family. She explains important psychological concepts, so the material isn’t intimidating. Her way of addressing the problems of the modern world with today’s isolation and the internet is helpful, and she points out issues that may not be readily evident to young parents. Most importantly, she gives advice and information that will help alleviate the anxiety caused by problems parenting the difficult child. For those who feel as if they have reached the end of their rope, she offers a comforting and reassuring tone and that is perhaps the greatest achievement of the book.
SHAME PROOF PARENTING offers more than a formulaic model for creating a child rearing strategy. It presents a way for parents to connect with themselves and their kids in a real and understanding way.
~Kat Kennedy for IndieReader