This book is more of a literature review full of quotes and references to other works. She often references them as “wisdom from another child development all stars.”

She names clients—or if she changed their names she does not mention that and often shares stories that include a secondary character who may not have given consent for a story to be shared. This includes a story about a minor. There were also times her tone came off as judgemental: “the youngest of the three is terribly entitled.” She was referencing a child here!

A positive I will share is the chapter on various family structures and LGBTQ acceptance.

"Learning to Play Again" by Dr. Kathryn Smerling is a timely and insightful guide to fostering meaningful connections and relationships in an increasingly isolated and disconnected world. Drawing on her extensive experience as a family therapist and early childhood education specialist, Dr. Smerling offers practical advice and strategies for establishing and maintaining healthy relationships with loved ones, friends, and colleagues.

One of the strengths of the book lies in Dr. Smerling's emphasis on the importance of kindness, empathy, and communication in building strong and fulfilling relationships. She highlights the value of simple gestures like saying "please" and "thank you," as well as the joy of engaging in parallel play and shared activities with others.

Another key aspect of the book is Dr. Smerling's focus on personal attunement and self-esteem as foundational elements for successful relationships. By encouraging readers to reconnect with their early selves and rediscover the joy of play, she provides a valuable roadmap for overcoming the challenges of modern life and fostering deeper connections with those around us.

Overall, "Learning to Play Again" is a compelling and inspiring read that offers practical wisdom and guidance for anyone seeking to cultivate more meaningful and fulfilling relationships. Dr. Smerling's compassionate and insightful approach makes this book a valuable resource for individuals of all ages and stages of life.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review for my honest opinion.

The title conveys the content of the book. Learning to Play Again doesn't provide a long how-to but stories and guide that I believe is easy to understand for all adults :)

Perfect for accompanying your healing journey and a quick and friendly visit to your inner child, I think.

This book has little to no ratings and I'm struggling to wrap my head around that. This was such a wonderful and helpful read. You can tell how educated the author is, but it stayed fairly readable for me and kept me interested because I do have a difficult time with a lot of things that were mentioned within the group.

This book was so different than what I expected from the title. I mean, I have to love a book that recognized Fred Rogers is an angel, but the book had so much data and so many studies. I was hoping for a little more fun and playtime. I loved the story of the manhattan taxi driver and the questions at the end were very helpful and insightful. Overall, I felt like it was a lot of reading for not as much reward.