In many of the parents' shared experiences in recent years, one phrase has been repeated: "I feel like I'm not a good enough mother," "Sometimes I feel like I'm a terrible father." This nagging feeling is one of the reasons why Master's degree holder Nguyen Ngoc Ai Quynh wrote the book "I Forgive You, Mom and Dad!".
The bilingual Vietnamese-English book, published by Thai Ha Books Joint Stock Company in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Trade Publishing House, was released to readers on December 14th.
Author Nguyen Ngoc Ai Quynh shares that, like many other young parents, she was once busy, stressed, and had high expectations for her child. She often said or did things that, upon reflection, she wished she could turn back time and do differently. But she realized that the feeling of "not being good enough," if only expressed through self-reproach, would be exhausting; however, if transformed into motivation to better understand herself and her child, it could be the starting point for a beautiful journey. The book was born from that very desire.
"I forgive you, Mom and Dad!" is not an accusation against parents, nor is it a parenting guide with rigid models. The book is written from the perspective of a child who has been hurt but still wants to say to their parents in a gentle way: "I forgive you… let's start over!"
Between the pages are glimpses of everyday life: an unconscious comparison, scolding a child in public, an evening when parents are too tired to listen… but the narrative style is always gentle, encouraging reflection and change, rather than criticism.
The book has a rather impressive structure. After each chapter, the author designs small practice sections. These include self-reflection questions to help parents pause and look at their own feelings, a "letter to yourself" section to embrace the inner child, or a "letter to your child" section to allow apologies and thank-yous to be written down before being spoken aloud…
The author shares that the greatest hope is that after closing the book, parents won't feel "worse," but rather lighter, warmer, and believe they have the right to learn, to correct, and to try again. The feeling of "not being good enough," in this perspective, is no longer a judgment, but a reminder: "I care about my child, that's why I'm so concerned. And I can always start with something small today."
"I forgive you, Mom and Dad!" is a mirror that helps readers see the child within themselves and the real child standing before them every day. The hope the book offers isn't a promise that everything will be perfect, but the belief that if parents dare to stop, dare to be honest, dare to say, "I'm sorry, let's start over," then the family has entered a new chapter. That chapter may still be messy and gentle, still have moments of carelessness and moments of admitting mistakes, but there will always be room for forgiveness from the child for the parents and from the parents for themselves.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/con-tha-thu-roi-ba-me-oi-khoi-dau-mot-hanh-trinh-tot-dep-cung-con-726825.html
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