When I made the decision to write a book that told my family’s story, I knew I had to do so in a way that was rooted in love and respect.
Yes, it was a story about struggle, but it was also about so much more than that.
It was also a story of family strength and resilience.
That’s what drew me to Restorative Narrative — a narrative style that emphasizes strength in the midst of struggle. Adopting this perspective allowed me to tell my family’s story and to share the experiences of the other families I interviewed for the book with respect and hopefully without causing harm. And that was the only way I was prepared to write this book: in a way that would not only be beneficial to some future reader desperately seeking answers within the pages, but also to the parents who had entrusted me with often painful and difficult details about their own and their children’s lives.
Tackling this subject matter in any other way was unthinkable. Imagine how it would feel to have your family’s experience framed in a context of deficiency and failure — how humiliating and soul-shattering that would be. I wasn’t prepared to do that to anyone’s family, let alone my own. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary to do so. Restorative Narrative, with its emphasis on recovery, restoration, and resilience, offered a compelling alternative. It allowed me to write a book I wanted to write — one that was anchored on the premise of finding strength in the storm.
Read More: and find out about the author, Ann Douglas, and her book - Parenting Through the Story: Find Help, Hope and Strength When Your Child Psychological Problems.
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