Put It On Your Therapy
List: Guilt-Free Parenting In A Child-Centered World
By Sybil Smith-Gray, Ph.D.
"Shut your mouth UP and don't say another
word. Not. Another. WORD!" "HAVE you lost your mind?" "How could you do
something so STUPID?" "STOP calling my name!"
I am not a great parent. I don't even try
to be. I'm just a good one. There are good parents who actually say these things
to their kids. Of course, the great ones do not. How many times have you seen a
parent shrieking at a child through a face so contorted by rage that it
resembled a Halloween mask? Have you ever heard a parent ask a child, "Do you
want me to give you something to cry about" and watched uneasily as the parent
proceeded to do exactly that? Maybe administered a whack on the butt or sent the
kid crying to his room for the rest of the day for a minor infraction? Do you
recognize yourself as the parent in any of these scenarios?
If you are about to become a parent, you
probably cannot imagine saying or doing these kinds of things to your child,
ever. If you are already a parent, then the odds are that you have said and done
things like this at some point. Parent Meltdowns. That's what I call these
episodes. They are the adult equivalent of a temper tantrum and they are not
pretty. Friends and colleagues of mine seem to like this term. It resonates with
them as parents, grandparents, guardians, aunts, and uncles.
You might be inclined to feel guilty for
losing it after your child has done something to cause you to deteriorate into a
screaming lunatic. I am convinced that it is time for parents to do away with
feeling guilty and reclaim their rightful role as the experts on their children.
Put It On Your Therapy List will give you front row viewing to some of my (the
child psychologist's) more spectacular meltdowns. If that doesn't make you feel
all better about yourself as a parent, nothing will.
Copyright 2005. Sybil Smith-Gray. All
rights reserved.
Summary Put It On Your Therapy List:
Guilt-Free Parenting In A Child-Centered World is a simple self-help book
written to inspire and motivate parents to reclaim their role as the experts on
their children. It is written in two parts: an inspirational section written in
a conversational tone and a self-exploration guide/action planner. There are
parenting affirmations contained throughout the book to uplift and encourage
parents with various parenting philosophies. This book offers a decidedly
pro-parent message that any parent can appreciate. It is a great gift for
friends and family members.
About the Author: Sybil Smith-Gray, Ph.D.
is a clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of
high-risk children, adolescents and young adults. She is a wife and the mother
of three young children, two of whom are adopted siblings. Dr. Gray holds
degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, Ohio State University, and
Gallaudet University. She completed her internship at Georgetown University
Medical Hospital Child Development Center.
Dr. Gray has worked with children and
their families throughout her professional career. She has served as a school
psychologist and she has worked with children in in-patient psychiatric
hospitals. In addition, she has taught developmentally delayed children and deaf
children. Dr. Gray has been in private practice for seven years working
extensively with violent juvenile offenders and their families. She has served
as a panelist and discussant on the mental health treatment of violent juvenile
offenders and she has presented on this topic to the Office of the Attorney
General of the District of Columbia.
Dr. Gray’s personal life philosophy rests
upon a belief in the resiliency and self-determination of the human spirit to
achieve complete and total emotional wellness in all areas of life. She
maintains a controversial position among parenting experts advocating that “good
enough” parents reclaim their confidence and their authority as the experts on
their children. She is often quoted as saying “My goal is to put the parenting
experts, including myself, out of business!”
Dr. Gray shares her opinions on this
philosophy through her book and on her Blog “Put It On Your Therapy List” (www.pioytl.blogspot.com).
The book can be ordered in hard copy or eBook format by going to the Blog and
clicking on the appropriate link.
|
