Review of Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent

[Seetha E]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent" by Kelly Todd.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Kelly Todd has endured many painful years while growing up because of her mother. In this book titled Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Life, Kelly touches upon the various stages that led to a realization that she was wronged by her narcissistic mother and her journey thereon towards reclaiming herself.

The book opens with a trigger warning. Rightly so, the book discusses sensitive topics such as suicide, substance abuse, and more. Kelly begins by helping readers understand narcissistic behavioral patterns and lists the various types of narcissism. The following few chapters discuss acknowledging the pain and prioritizing oneself by defining healthy boundaries, working on self, identifying an inner circle for reliable guidance, and not shying away from professional guidance as soon as the need is identified.

I applaud her for highlighting the gruesome impact narcissism has on children. It is very different from having to deal with a narcissistic partner. The impact is harsher as it may take years before the individual realizes the crux of the issues and decides to take a stand. Having to endure narcissism at the hands of the very person who is responsible for protecting them leaves the child extremely confused and vulnerable for life. They tend to nurture flawed perceptions of love and relationships, impacting later life as well, to name just one negative impact from the long list.

I am positive that her suggestion to write three letters is an effective first step toward acknowledging pain. She rightly draws the readers’ attention to all likely pitfalls and prepares them with measures to ensure the other party conforms to the pre-decided boundaries for self-preservation. She recommends holistic approaches toward ensuring physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Most importantly, she reminds readers that they are worthy of love, care, and respect. As much as she insists on maintaining healthy boundaries, she does not encourage being disrespectful toward the parent. These are just a few of the positive takeaways that I concur with. Look out for her touching note to her father. For readers interested in details, the author shares an information bank with links from where the information was sourced. I did not spot a single error, confirming the excellent editing.

Although I won’t call this a negative aspect, this book leans toward a memoir detailing her journey. There were just a couple of instances other than her own that were shared. More researched/documented case studies will add value to this book. Considering this aspect, I rate it four out of five stars. Overall, it helps create awareness about the patterns to look out for and measures that one can take. This is a valuable resource for all audiences above middle teens. The theme and the presence of profanity make it unsuitable for a younger age group. This book offers a checklist of sorts for parents to keep tabs on their own behavior and for educators to identify such kids who may be suffering. Supervised reading in educational spaces is a great way to create awareness about narcissistic behavior early on and suggest ways to navigate it.

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Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Chi Chiu Michael Mak]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent" by Kelly Todd.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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Kelly Todd has endured many painful years while growing up because of her mother. In this book titled Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Life, Kelly touches upon the various stages that led to a realization that she was wronged by her narcissistic mother and her journey thereon towards reclaiming herself.

The book opens with a trigger warning. Rightly so, the book discusses sensitive topics such as suicide, substance abuse, and more. Kelly begins by helping readers understand narcissistic behavioral patterns and lists the various types of narcissism. The following few chapters discuss acknowledging the pain and prioritizing oneself by defining healthy boundaries, working on self, identifying an inner circle for reliable guidance, and not shying away from professional guidance as soon as the need is identified.

I applaud her for highlighting the gruesome impact narcissism has on children. It is very different from having to deal with a narcissistic partner. The impact is harsher as it may take years before the individual realizes the crux of the issues and decides to take a stand. Having to endure narcissism at the hands of the very person who is responsible for protecting them leaves the child extremely confused and vulnerable for life. They tend to nurture flawed perceptions of love and relationships, impacting later life as well, to name just one negative impact from the long list.

I am positive that her suggestion to write three letters is an effective first step toward acknowledging pain. She rightly draws the readers’ attention to all likely pitfalls and prepares them with measures to ensure the other party conforms to the pre-decided boundaries for self-preservation. She recommends holistic approaches toward ensuring physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Most importantly, she reminds readers that they are worthy of love, care, and respect. As much as she insists on maintaining healthy boundaries, she does not encourage being disrespectful toward the parent. These are just a few of the positive takeaways that I concur with. Look out for her touching note to her father. For readers interested in details, the author shares an information bank with links from where the information was sourced. I did not spot a single error, confirming the excellent editing.

Although I won’t call this a negative aspect, this book leans toward a memoir detailing her journey. There were just a couple of instances other than her own that were shared. More researched/documented case studies will add value to this book. Considering this aspect, I rate it four out of five stars. Overall, it helps create awareness about the patterns to look out for and measures that one can take. This is a valuable resource for all audiences above middle teens. The theme and the presence of profanity make it unsuitable for a younger age group. This book offers a checklist of sorts for parents to keep tabs on their own behavior and for educators to identify such kids who may be suffering. Supervised reading in educational spaces is a great way to create awareness about narcissistic behavior early on and suggest ways to navigate it.

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Healing from Growing Up with a Narcissistic Parent
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Kids don't realize it is narcissism until they grow up and validate their feelings. Great tips in the book! I thought it is a non-fiction judging from the title. Turns out it's more of a memoir.

[Priya Murugesan]

I believe this book deals with a concept that is not much talked about. Narcissism in parents affects their children greatly and this book helps them to come out of it. Also this book would be great for educators to identify such issues in their students very early and help them accordingly. Thanks for your detailed review!