The Normalization of Toxicity in Caribbean Parenting

In many Caribbean families, love and hardship can exist side by side. A parent may work tirelessly, provide for a child, and still use words or rules that leave that child feeling unheard, ashamed, or afraid. And when someone speaks up, they may hear: "That's how we were raised."

In The Normalization of Toxicity in Caribbean Parenting: When Culture Becomes an Excuse, Dr. Sasha Barnes takes a clear, compassionate look at family patterns that can be difficult to name. Through familiar, blended examples, the book explores respect and "answering back," physical punishment, public embarrassment, colorism and hair, migration and separation, pressure to show gratitude, the role of grandparents and extended family, and the challenge of setting boundaries while staying connected to your roots.

Written from a Jamaican author's perspective and opened to the wider Caribbean and its diaspora, this book does not claim that every family is alike. It asks readers to look at what happens in their own homes: What is a tradition meant to teach? When does correction become humiliation? How can families keep what nurtures children while changing what causes harm?

This is a conversational guide for parents, adult children, and anyone trying to understand the family patterns they inherited-and build relationships where respect, accountability, and care can belong together.