The Inner Work
of Mindful Parenting
by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
When we become parents, whether
intentionally or by happenstance, our whole life is
immediately different, although it may take
some time to realize just how much. Being a parent
compounds stress by orders of magnitude. It
makes us vulnerable in ways we weren’t before. It calls us to be responsible in ways we weren’t
before. It challenges us as never before, and
takes out time and attention away from other
things, including ourselves, as never before.
It creates chaos and disorder, feelings of
inadequacy, occasions for arguments, struggles,
irritation, noise, seemingly never-ending
obligations and errands, and plenty of opportunities
for getting stuck, angry, resentful, hurt, and
for feeling overwhelmed, old, and unimportant.
And this can go on not only when the children
are little, but even when they are full grown and on their own. Having children is asking for
trouble.
So why do it? Maybe Pete Seeger said it
best: ‘We do it for the high wages…kisses.’ Children
give us the opportunity to share in the
vibrancy of life in ways we would not touch were they
not part of our lives… they share vital nature
with us and call it out of us as well, if
we can listen carefully to the calling.
