The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion, and Connection

Dr. Brené Brown's Ten Guideposts to Wholehearted Families

We all know that perfect parenting does not exist, yet we still struggle with the social expectations that teach us that being imperfect is synonymous with being inadequate. These messages are powerful and we end up spending precious time and energy managing perception and the carefully edited versions of the families we show to the world. On The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting, Dr. Brené Brown invites us on a journey to transform the lives of parents and children alike. Drawing on her 12 years of research on vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame, she presents 10 guideposts to creating what she describes as "wholehearted" families where each of us can continually learn and grow as we reach our full potential, including:

Cultivating worthiness in families--the knowledge that we are each always worthy of love and belonging
- Vulnerability--the key to true connection
- Engaging in creativity and play as a family
- Practicing gratitude and joy in the home
- Respect and hard work in a culture of "fun, fast, and easy"
"It's actually our ability to embrace imperfection that will help us teach our children to have the courage to be authentic, the compassion to love themselves and others, and the sense of connection that gives true purpose and meaning to life," states Dr. Brown. The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting is a practical and hopeful program for raising children who know that they are worthy of love, belonging, and joy.

Course objectives:

Discuss how to cultivate worthiness in families-the knowledge that we are each always worthy of love and belonging
- Explain how to engage in creativity and play as a family
- Discuss how to cultivate a practice of gratitude and joy in the home
- Explain the value of respect and hard work within a culture of "fun, fast, and easy"
- Discuss how to embrace imperfection as a parent and how to teach our children to have the courage to be authentic and compassionate


About the Author

PhD, LMSW Brene Brown
Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work who has spent the past 10 years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She is a nationally renowned speaker and has won numerous teaching awards, including the college's Outstanding Faculty Award. Her groundbreaking work has been featured on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com. Her most recent TED talk, "Listening to Shame," was released in March 2012.

Brené is the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't). She is also the author of Connections, a psychoeducational shame resilience curriculum that is being facilitated across the nation by mental health and addiction professionals.

Brené's current research focuses on wholeheartedness in families, schools, and organizations. She lives in Houston with her husband and their two young children.