This was the reassurance that I needed. The author's way of talking about parenting was helpful but not condescending and didn't make me feel even worse.

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview!

Loved this breakdown of parenting tips. Definitely reading it again!

Thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Group for the ARC of this!

This was an easy to take in, short and sweet, guide to self-compassion as a parent. I struggled with the author’s premise that NO ONE is a shitty parent, as I continue to recover from my childhood trauma, but I can see the frame of reference she’s using for that even if I’m not ready to consider it. It seemed to have reasonable advice for what to do. I liked the anecdotes to make it more clear, and I wish she’d used more of those.

I adored this book - I wish I had a copy when my child was born. I love the way the author writes, it feels like an old friend chatting with you. Carla has a funny, laid back writing style that makes this book a joy to read. Right off the bat, Carla has really important advice on how to be compassionate towards yourself as a parent, using vivid analogies. This book has really changed my mindset about how I parent, and change my outlook on my role and "performance" as a parent. This books breaks down nebulous concepts like self-compassion so that real parents can be kinder to themselves, and in turn, become better parents. I think even non-parents would benefit from reading this, really anyone who is anxious and very hard on themselves! This is a life changing book!

I loved How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids. And this follow up was just what I needed. This isn’t some unicorns and flowers type of book. It’s real talk.

I really enjoyed this book about self compassion and how it can help your parenting. It addresses all the negative self talk and ways we try to distract ourselves from that, that just make us feel worse, and strategies for how to break out of that cycle and model that compassion for our kids.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley and the publishers. I love love LOVE Carla Naumburg. Her book "How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids" was absolutely life-changing. I have a child whose day to day is heavily impacted by ASD and ADHD and that book gave me tools to slow down, give myself grace and stop it with my own big reactions (most of the time). I was super excited for this book, and it didn't disappoint - it's more of the same practical, realistic, not-sappy advice but this time looking at how to stop the cycle of unhelpfully reacting to my own mental baggage. Dr. Naumberg talks about the three arrows (number 1 might get you, but if you can stop number 2 in its tracks you might not get caught with number 3) and she breaks down background and steps to take to take control of those arrows. A great read for parents who are running on empty.

Thank you to Netgalley, Workman Publishing, and Ms. Naumburg for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I read, and very much enjoyed, Ms. Naumburg’s previous work, How Not to Lose Your Sh*t With Your Kids. This book (You Are Not A Sh*tty Parent), was also good, if not quite as strong as the first one.

Primarily this book addressed having compassion and kindness for one’s self as a parent, and for one’s kids. There are some general strategies for ways to impose kindness and compassion on yourself if you’re not in the habit of doing so. The author’s first book focused on the author’s suggestions for strategies to manage reactionary behavior in communication with kids. One such strategy is to be kind, patient, and compassionate to yourself; I’m guessing that was difficult for a lot of people because this book focuses exclusively on that. I felt that the first book was a little stronger because it gave more practical examples of situations and scenarios between the parent and the child, whereas this one was more general and focused more on the parent’s feelings and mindset. The content was a tad repetitive. That being said, I do think that the book had a very important message: YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST. YOU ARE NOT A BAD PARENT. PARENTING IS HARD. The author made some excellent points about relative social isolation of parents nowadays; we are all under the impression that everyone else has it all together, and we are the only ones struggling.

I work in a public facility where there are lots of kids and parents so I am lucky enough (I guess) to see firsthand that this is not the case. I see plenty of caregivers/parents/etc having tough times. In a way this is reassuring to me because, as the author says, it’s clear I’m in a community of people who are all facing their own challenges. Many people, the author says, feel isolated, only living their own experience, seeing only glowing social media posts that make them feel like they are the only ones struggling. If you are a person who feels this way, then this is a good book for you to read. You are not alone. I would recommend this to most parents, especially if they don’t feel they have a solid support system (spouse, friends, etc) in their lives. BUT I would also recommend that parents read Naumburg’s other book, too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had to DNF this book at 30% mark, because the phrase ''you are not a sh*tty parent'' was overused so much, that in the end it started irritating me instead of helping. I even startet to count that phrase, but at 30% I lost the count and lost my interest.
I couldn't find anything usefull in this book to be honest, felt like I read the same stuff so many times before, that I just couldn't waste my time anymore.
Hopefully someone else will find this book usefull, but for me it is a hard no - no.

"Chances are you already feel alone, ashamed and confused as hell. You don't need to pile on a load of judgment and contempt on top of that, and that's exactly what all your Shitty Parent Thoughts are doing"

You Are Not a Shitty Parent by Carla Naumburg felt like I was having a long phone conversation with a friend that says "HEY YOU DON'T SUCK, PARENTING IS JUST REALLY HARD" and for that I am forever grateful to this author. I haven't felt this seen and validated ever since starting my own motherhood journey and seriously this book hits it right in the nail with how modern parenthood feels like: both incredibly hard and stressful at times. This book does a wonderful job in helping the reader notice and stop the self hate talk and gives easy and practical advice on how to really grace yourself with more compassion. Something I feel like we all could use more of.

Truly. If you're a parent grab this book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the same author who wrote, "How to stop losing your sh*t with your kids." Part of me is really tired of the swear words in titles - it feels played out and kind of childish, but as someone who sometimes feels like a shitty parent, I went into this book without a lot of expectations but still pretty hopeful. This book is more about giving yourself a break, that raising kids is hard, and you need to see that if you're struggling, as many of us are, you may not need more advice or strategies - you may just need to have some compassion for yourself and stop blaming yourself for everything, because you can't fix everything. We all want to, and we can't. It's an important book to read if you feel like you're not doing anything right, though I don't know if an entire book was needed for it, and it seems to go against the author's previous book, which is full of strategies about how to fix things. I definitely recommend it for parents who need someone to tell them, "You're doing ok. Give yourself a break. Things are hard."

I was almost offended at how quickly I was approved for this book when I requested it on Netgalley. Okay, that was a joke. Actually, I needed it badly.

Truly, what I needed was for someone to say it just like that. "You are not a shitty parent." I needed someone to give me some tools to navigate the pressure I put on myself as a mother, someone to tell me I'm not ruining my kids, that other people also worry about this, and that they, and I, are not giving ourselves the compassion we so deserve as humans raising humans. I thought maybe the book would help, but it did so much more for me. It gave me permission to drop any shame or blame I've set upon myself for situations outside of my control (like, uh, I don't know, a global pandemic or something). I appreciated the ways Carla explained that it is not what life throws at us as parents, it's not even how we have responded to what life has thrown at us in the past, but it IS about how we react and work through those things.

This is a book I'd recommend to other parents in a heartbeat and I will be purchasing a physical copy for myself as soon as I possibly can. This is not your typical parenting book that includes thinly veiled statements to tell you that you are either a horrible parent or a perfect parent. I really, really appreciated the room for growth, forgiveness, and perseverance that was encouraged consistently through the book.

Thanks so much to Workman Publishing Group and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinions. Thanks to Carla Naumburg as well, for writing this book. We needed it.

This was an enjoyable book with a lot of good information, very relatable, and a quick read. There are several good takeaways and actionable tips included. Overall, it adds to the conversation around self-care and caretaker duties. Given the helpful nature of the material overall, the inclusion of curse words throughout the book diminished the professional feel of the book and gave the book more of a feel of a caring friend vs. a serious academic discussion. The tips were great, but the language was off-putting.

This book had some wonderful advice for modern parents. I did struggle to agree with parts of the book. Overall I would advise parents to look at this book to help them navigate thier parenting journey!

This book came to me at the perfect time for me. "When..?" you ask? After a less than stellar few days of feeling like a sh*tty parent, of course. There was a lot in here that is just nice to hear; affirmation that you're doing the best you can, you're functioning under less than ideal conditions, burnt out, chaos is normal, and that you are not a bad parent because of any of it. (The chaos is normal part is so simple but also... mindblowing??)

My main takeaway is that we need to be more compassionate with ourselves. If you're even picking this book up, there's evidence that you are a caring parent who wants to do better. I also liked, and have used, the authors technique of using loving kindness to send love to myself and others to clear my mind and fake it 'til I make it: May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe, may you live with ease, may you not being the receiving end of my epic sh*t loss. ;)

Keep this book on your shelf. Highlight the crap out of it. Pull it out when you need a reminder that you're doing your best. And keep your chin up, moms & dads. It's hard out there.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

You are not a Sh*tty Parent is an amazingly comforting self help book teaching parents how to practive self-compassion and give themselves a break. Being a parent doesn't come with a handbook and we all feel we're doing a terrible job or lack confidence in our parenting at sometime. This book helps you to analyse things, set boundaries and recognise that not everyone is as perfect as they appear when parenting.
This book has some really good advise and some great scenarios to help you understand each chapter.
I felt like I was talking to a trusted friend when reading this and this book helped me feel calm and grounded.
I definitely recommend this to every parent out there!

I will absolutely be purchasing a hard copy of this book as soon as I am able. Our family has been in the midst of exactly one of those situations this book is made for. I loved the blend of humor and concrete information sprinkled throughout by the author. It wasn’t judgmental or preachy. It felt like I was getting real advice from a friend over coffee. I’m eager to try and put some of these tips to use.

A brilliant read! As a parent, I was fully immersed into this, but I feel like this would be a good read for anyone!

I really enjoyed this book. It makes you feel okay if you are not 'perfect' I am tired of books telling me how to be a perfect parent! I appreciate how good this book makes me feel as a parent after reading it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Just started reading this book and I can tell I'm going to be coming back for more in the future! As a parent, this book has already helped me feel like I'm not failing as a parent on days I feel like I am. Or questioning if I'm doing this parenting thing right. I highly recommend this book!!!