I Can Fix This

And Other Lies I Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child

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I Can Fix This

By: Kristina Kuzmic, Shefali Tsabary - introduction Ph.D.

Narrated by: Kristina Kuzmic, Soneela Nankani, Luka Kuzmic

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About this listen

From the author of Hold On, But Don’t Hold Still, the emotionally charged and eye-opening account of a mother who navigates the cacophony of best practices and urgent advice from parenting authorities in search of a way to support her teen as he maps his own path to mental health.

When Kristina Kuzmič started to see signs that her otherwise sunny, resilient teenage son was struggling, she was sure a few simple fixes could right the ship. But over the following months, the issues her family faced became more nuanced, complicated, and pervasive than she could've predicted—and what began as a clear to do list spiraled into an emotionally fraught and seemingly endless push and pull between signs of progress and overwhelming fear.

Despite her best efforts, Kuzmič had internalized a set of obligations, ideas, and unrealistic standards from parenting culture and social media that left her unprepared to guide her child when he needed her most. Featuring an urgent and affirming foreword by renowned and New York Times bestselling clinician Dr. Shefali Tsabary—Kuzmič's new book debunks ten "parenting truths” that kept her in crisis, and delves into her insecurities and the mistakes she made to reveal invaluable lessons and transformative approaches that worked.

While her family stands on the other side now stronger than ever, Kuzmič's journey calls to parents who have felt the instinct to say “I can fix this” in situations where good intentions far exceed our abilities to enact change.

Addiction & Recovery

Conflict Resolution

Parenting & Families

Relationships

Teenagers

Health

Mental Health

Critic Reviews

Praise for I Can Fix This

"By offering us an in-depth account of her most vulnerable and maddening moments as a mother of a child in anguish, Kristina Kuzmič gives us a story as close to an emotional road map as possible."
—Dr. Shefali Tsabary, New York Times bestselling author of The Parenting Map

"I expected to be moved. I didn't expect I Can Fix This to be a page-turner, to make me laugh, to give me a better script for parenting through the hardest of times, and to leave me with renewed hope."
—Michelle Icard, bestselling author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen and Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success

"The heart-wrenching and ultimately hope-filled journey of parenting a beloved child struggling with mental health and substance abuse. As a clinician and a mom, I so appreciated Kuzmič's extreme candor, humility, and empathy tackling a topic that is all too often kept in the shadows, leaving parents to suffer in silence. I encourage every parent, but especially those with kids who are struggling, to read I Can Fix This. You will find solace, understanding, and perspective that will not only help your family survive, but hopefully thrive as a result."
—Dr. Laura Berman, New York Times bestselling author of Real Sex for Real Women and Talking to Your Kids About Sex

"This book is so honest, reminding us that we are not alone in our parenthood journey, and that what our mind tells us is not always true. It is the perfect example of how showing up day after day, week after week, year after year is all the true love that our child needs. It won't be easy, and it will be far from perfect, but it will be real. Kristina and this book could not set a better example."
—Dr. Neela Sethi, general pediatrics and adolescent medicine, teen mental health advocate

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Kristina and Luka have laid bare some of the deepest, darkest moments anybody could ever experience. This is a very raw, vulnerable, real & unapologetic insight into the genuine struggles that come with mental illness. I cried for so much of this book. Utterly destroyed in parts. It doesn’t hold back, but still offers reflections, guidance and hope. Thank you for writing this book. I wish you health and happiness.