Better Parenting: A Guide for Somali Parents in the Diaspora

Three issues confront Somali parents more than any other in their attempts to raise children in a new cultural environment: the education system, a lack of trust in Social Services, and a lack of a support system. The divide between the culture they grew up with and the new place in which they raise their children can seem too big to cross.

Better Parenting promotes healthy parent-child relationships not only through helpful strategies but through a focus on the love and care mothers and fathers have for their children, examining the importance of early learning and play, parental investment, leading by example, and balancing schoolwork and free time. Ruqia Abdi helps each parent meet their children's needs, honoring Somali culture as it finds roots in new places and integrates with existing structures.

By showing parents support during their transition to a new country and culture, Better Parenting successfully bridges gaps and builds parent-child relationships.