Am I A Normal Parent?

Last night, I attended the book launch for Am I a Normal Parent? Written by Sara Dimerman, Toronto-based child and family therapist, this parenting tome is full of reassuring facts, case studies and advice. 

I was immediately drawn to the title of the book – what mom or dad doesn’t wonder if they’re “normal?” I was also blown away by the fabulous forward by Fox TV’s “Nanny 911” Deb Carroll.  Carroll writes: “Am I a Normal Parent? will encourage parents to be more honest. I’ve been waiting for a book like this to be available so that parents can read the honest truth about parenting. I’d like them to realize they are not alone when they feel it is hard work.” Amen to that, sister!

Am I a Normal Parent? features serious subjects, like – “Define Normal,” “True Confessions,”  and “I’ll Be There in a Minute (and Other Lies We Tell Our Children)” – written with a light-hearted touch.  There’s a lot of info packed into a pretty tight package – the entire book is a sparse 163-pages but most of it is helpful and incredibly interesting.

There are lots of quotes from real moms and dads from all walks of life. Take Ilana – “a 47-year-old mother of five children…she says that, ‘when my son was about 8 years old, I used to end every day in tears because of my relationship with him, and it used to make me feel like an evil mother.  Every night I would vow that tomorrow I would not hit, smack, insult, or pull at him but I just couldn’t stick with it. He used to push all the wrong buttons with me.’” Wow! How’s that for honesty?

Need more reassurance that you're not alone when you're having a "Calgon, take me away..." moment? You can find more interesting results from Dimerman’s survey. For instance: “17% of respondents said, at one or time or another, they regretted becoming a parent.” Of course, there are a lot of positive solutions in the book as well. I enjoyed the story about Lynn Lott -- a grandmother and parent educator -- who decided that "it was incredibly disrespectful and insulting to assume that children were mindless objects and that we had the right to manage them [by spanking as punishment]."

Dimerman uses statistics, survey results, reassuring advice, and case studies to put parents with kids at all stages at ease. The author doesn’t excuse the abuse or mistreatment of children but she realizes and acknowledges that parenting is a tough job. You can buy the book at Chapters and via Dimerman’s web site. 

Have you read the book? Can you relate? Post your comment here or email me at lisah@parentscanada.com.