Quote of the Day
“We see parenting as a sacred responsibility. Parents are nothing less than protectors, nourishers, comforters, teachers, guides, companions, models, and sources of unconditional love and acceptance. If we are able to keep this sense of parenting as a sacred responsibility in mind, and we bring a degree of mindfulness to the process as it unfolds moment to moment, our choices as parents are much more likely to come out of an awareness of what this moment, this child—at this stage of his life—is asking from us right now, through his very being and his behavior. In rising to this challenge, we may not only come to do what is best for our children; we may also uncover and come to know, perhaps for the first time, what is deepest and best in ourselves.
“Mindful parenting calls us to acknowledge and name the challenges we face daily in trying to parent with awareness. For awareness has to be inclusive. It has to include recognizing our own frustrations, insecurities, and shortcomings, our limits and limitations, even our darkest and most destructive feelings, and the ways we may feel overwhelmed or pulled apart. It challenges us to ‘work with’ these very energies consciously and systematically.”
—Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting
… And this is why it’s so hard.
November 16, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Do you think this is a good book for daddies too? I forwarded it to my brother.
November 16, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Sure, I don’t see why not. It’s co-authored by a daddy, after all. I’m really only into it by 2-3 chapters so far, but I’m enjoying what I’m reading. It’s nice when books about parenting acknowledge how hard it is, rather than just expect you to dive in and glory in it 100% of the time—there are lots of books like that out there. I like parenting books that are thoughtful and that validate the whole range of my feelings about parenting, and not just the happy homemaker ones.
November 16, 2006 at 12:19 pm
I’ve heard good things about
The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined All Women
November 16, 2006 at 12:22 pm
I have it and have read about half of it. Very interesting. I put it down because it got a bit preachy (and probably because I picked up a novel that was easier and more fun!), but I expect to read the rest someday.
November 16, 2006 at 12:24 pm
You’re dreamy.
November 16, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Sometimes my personal reading choices are strongly influenced by my work of the day: If I’m editing a particularly academic or dense book, I find that I have to balance that by reading something light, fictional, feel-good, or escapist.
I totally read for pleasure less now than I used to. That is probably due partly to editing for a living and partly to parenting. 🙂
November 16, 2006 at 12:26 pm
Thanks, babycakes! Back at ya. Don’t we have a coffee date on our agendas?
November 16, 2006 at 12:37 pm
November 27th looks good.
And so do you.
November 16, 2006 at 12:55 pm
How’s that for daily practice? 🙂
November 16, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Right. I forget sometimes.
November 16, 2006 at 1:42 pm
I love reading about your experiences as a mom. It’s fascinating, heart-warming and maybe even someday helpful. You and your man are doing a great job by the way.
November 16, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Thank you very much for the compliments and encouragement. Sometimes I feel self-conscious about HOW MUCH I write about parenting and Lucas, thinking that I must sound like a broken record on LJ, but I am compelled to do it. Writing about this stuff provides me with a lot of clarity and an outlet for my negative and/or unparentlike feelings. Plus, parenting is the work that I spend the majority of my external and internal life doing. Many days, I feel like I have nothing else to write about because this is all I’ve done.