After three and a half years of development, The Loving Parent Guidebook (LPG), an ACA WSO Literature Committee project introducing powerful tools for reparenting our wounded inner family, has been published. Thousands of adult children worldwide are now using it to make reparenting an active part of their lives. A print version is available at https://shop.adultchildren.org, on Amazon in the United States, and internationally through intergroups. An eBook version is available through Amazon in different parts of the world.
For the next one to three years, the LPG will be in fellowship review mode, meaning members can use the guidebook and offer feedback through an online form. You can give your feedback at https://acawso.org/feedback-on-existing-literature/
Once that feedback has been reviewed, we (the LPG Subcommittee) will collaborate with the Literature Evaluation Subcommittee to incorporate changes. The guidebook will then be submitted to the Literature Committee and finally the Board. If the Board approves it, the LPG will be voted on at an upcoming Annual Business Conference (ABC) for designation as Conference-approved literature.
The LPG began as a ballot proposal, which received unanimous support at the 2017 ABC. Since then, multiple drafts have been reviewed by close to 40 readers. When Covid-19 hit, we wanted to support adult children with a practical LPG tool. We offered the Spring 2020 Reparenting Check-in workshops on six different occasions. Almost 4000 adult children attended the workshops, inspiring experienced editors and writers to join the project. They brought fresh eyes to the book, improving its structure and flow. Over 60 volunteers worked on the project, including skilled artists and designers.
In January 2021, 15 Literature Evaluation subcommittee members reviewed the LPG. Their group conscience recommendation was to move it forward as a high priority. After we incorporated reviewers’ suggestions, two volunteers proofread the book. One of our volunteers then tackled the long and arduous process of laying out the content to be as attractive and inner-child friendly as possible.
Today, the tools carefully discussed in the LPG are the basis of a growing number of reparenting check-in meetings, LPG literature meetings, and study groups working through the book, as is done with the Yellow workbook and Laundry List workbook. These groups can be found at www.adultchildren.org.
Members have already translated the reparenting check-in worksheet into Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Finnish. ACAs regularly tell us that the reparenting check-in, just one of the many LPG tools, has helped them live in The Solution.
We have been asked if this guidebook is the same or related to a reparenting workbook written by the Central Coast intergroup. It is not. The LPG is the only reparenting workbook that has been evaluated and accepted for publication by ACA WSO. The reparenting check-in comes from the LPG.
We are thrilled that the full guidebook is now widely available and in use. For bonus resources, such as a meeting list and LPG study group guide, visit http://lpg.adultchildren.org.
Bonnie M.
Chair, LPG Subcommittee