Review of the book "Μαμά, μπαμπά, ακούει κανείς;"

A unique attempt by author and mediator Despina Mavridou to facilitate and help recalibrate the balances between divorced parents who are struggling to keep a healthy family dynamic after the divorce.

The book is written from the point of view of Irini, the young daughter of the freshly divorced couple, who voices her concerns about her parents' behaviour. Although we all understand that kids might not always have the verbal capacity to express what Irini is expressing through the pages of this helpful book, it is rather evident that Despina is providing a rather practical and emotionally supportive checklist for both kids and parents; on one hand, the children can use the book as validation of the confusion of their thoughts and feelings which in turn will help them make more sense of what they are going through. On the other hand, parents can find helpful reminders to avoid potentially harmful behaviours and to find mature ways in which they don't neglect themselves or their kids and in which everyone can communicate their needs and repressed emotions.

An excellent, simple and practical read, helpful not just for families who are undergoing separation but for anyone interested in increasing their empathy and awareness in similar family tensions and dynamics.