Alain Braconnier is a psychologist, psychiatrist, head of APEP [Association Psychanalyse et Psychothérapies] training at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, emeritus professor at the École des psychologues praticiens. He is the author of best-sellers such as Mère et Fils [Mother and Son]; Les Filles et les Pères [Daughters and Fathers]; Être parent aujourd’hui [Being a Parent Today]; Protéger son soi [Protecting Ones’ Self]; Optimiste [Optimist]; L’Enfant optimiste [The Optimistic Child]; and On ne m’écoute pas! [No One Listens to Me!]

No one doubts that a child needs to be loved by his parents. But the opposite doesn’t seem so obvious. Why don’t we ever read that a parent also needs to be loved by his or her children? Alain Braconnier, who brings a wealth of professional experience listening to parents, children, and adolescents, shows that this need for reciprocity in the relationship is fundamental to a happy upbringing. The parent-child relationship isn’t summed up by a developmental question centered on a child’s school years; it is also a matter of the heart. Many educational difficulties are related to an absence of reciprocity. This book suggests that parents learn how to express their needs when they have self-doubts. A great amount of emphasis is placed on the educational need to convey knowledge. But knowing how to listen to each other and how to love each other is a skill that also needs to be conveyed. Sharing feelings and emotions is the secret to a successful upbringing. By exploring the components of a love that is born at the very first moments of life, this book explains how to maintain that connection even in the most challenging situations of everyday life with one’s child or adolescent.