How to Raise a Future Therapy Patient

I've always wanted to write a fun parenting guide. I was young (19) when I became a mom. It was the best thing to ever happen to me. But life is different when you have so much growing up to do but are also responsible for raising a child. 

Introduction: Why I Wrote a Book About Screwing Up Parenting (and Loving It Anyway)

Let’s get this out of the way: if you picked up a book called How to Raise a Future Therapy Patient, you already know this isn’t going to be a guide to perfect parenting. In fact, the closest thing I’ve come to “perfect” parenting is making sure my son didn’t lick an outlet more than once.

I became a mom young and convinced I could somehow raise a happy, well-adjusted child without totally losing my mind. Spoiler: I was wrong about at least one of those things. Along the way, I’ve learned that parenting is basically a mix of love, guilt, laughter, and creative problem-solving…with just enough mistakes to guarantee my son will someday sit across from a therapist saying, “My mom was great, but—.”

And that’s okay.

This book is part memoir, part parenting manual, and part confessional comedy set. You’ll find stories of my most chaotic parenting moments, sprinkled with tips I’ve picked up from gentle parenting, trial and error, and occasionally bribery. Think of it less as advice from an expert and more like a chat with a friend who will tell you the truth—even if the truth is that sometimes dinner is Goldfish crackers and juice boxes.

By the end, I hope you’ll feel a little lighter, a little more forgiving of yourself, and a lot more willing to laugh at the absurdity of raising tiny humans. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s this: therapy might be in their future, but so is the love and resilience you’re giving them now.