How to be the Parent You Needed

When I first heard the word reparenting, I rolled my eyes. Another therapy buzzword, I thought. As a new mum, I could barely keep up with “real” parenting—why would I add another kind to the mix? But when I finally slowed down enough to listen, something clicked. Reparenting wasn’t about dismissing my parents’ sacrifices; it was about tending to the child in me that never got what she needed.

For many of us—especially eldest daughters of immigrants—childhood meant growing up too fast, being the “extra parent,” and learning our worth through responsibility. We know how to work. We know how to give. But we don’t always know how to play. Reparenting invites us to change that.

In this blog, I share why reclaiming play is central to healing, how to stop perfectionism from hijacking joy, and why reparenting doesn’t mean rejecting your faith—it can actually deepen it. Because at the heart of it all is this truth: the child in us is still here, waiting for us to finally show up.