Giving Birth To My Parents

"Giving Birth to My Parents" is a true gift that has emerged from Lorrie Caplan's soul as she has faced the challenges we all encounter with our parents.  Lorrie has always had a unique grasp of her parents' point of view and perspectives.  Her openness toward accepting who they (Blanche and Bernie) were without judgment is a true gift that many baby boomers have trouble grasping.  Throughout my lifetime of observing Lorrie and her parents, I was always impressed with how they (the old fashioned more conservative thinking) embraced Lorrie and her very innovative ways of thinking and expressing her views of the world.  Lorrie has always included her parents in her life and accepted them for wherever they were at the time.  I, for one, have great issues with doing this to date. 

However, Lorrie has mastered the art and practice of "no judgment" which provided an amazing framework of mutual love and respect.  In a sense, it is a true labor of love...a giving birth to the kind of relationship we all want with our parents.  Lorrie's own personal work has enabled her to break the mold of mother-daughter/father-daughter paradigms and emerge into a true birthing of the relationship we have always wanted with our parents.  That is...one that is respectful of where we are in life, who we are, our choices, etc. 

As a mother to two young children, I applaud Lorrie's expression of how to give birth to your parents as knowing her and observing her relationship with Blanche and Bernie has made me more conscious of how to be a better parent.  What better person to write this book than Lorrie Caplan...a woman who lives to her fullest potential on a daily basis and truly knows how to enjoy and love life.  The beauty of this, is that the love of life always trickled into her parental relationship and she actually led the way for her parents to experience a wonderful life! 

Since Lorrie’s father's passing last year, I have had the opportunity to spend time with Lorrie and her mother.  My own children, ages eight and eleven observed how special Lorrie's relationship is with her mother.  My eight year old said, "Wow, Mom, they're like...friends."   Something we need more of in this world of dysfunctional families and toxic familial ties that bind us through our lives This book is a true labor of love from a person who has a depth of experience transforming negative energies and stale family patterns into extraordinary relationships. Support and love in its truest form.

-Fern Nibauer