Letter from Publisher, August 2015
The philosophy is that in order to be clear and effective in our communications with others, we need to be in touch with what’s alive inside ourselves. Only through self-empathy can we come to have true and meaningful empathy for others.
Our group comprises parents and “parents in waiting” like me. My husband and I are in the process of adopting a child, with both anticipation and nervousness. Will we do it right, and what does that mean? With all the conflicting opinions, theories and ideas circulating, it’s tough to know. Will others judge our decision in ways that may affect our child?
I take heart from the advice of Dr. Adriana Moise, a board-certified pediatrician and Integrative Medicine Fellow who studied with Dr. Andrew Weil. In her Quakertown practice, she encourages parents to ask questions that they may be reluctant or otherwise embarrassed to ask, without fear of being judged.
I’m also grateful when the moms and dads in my retreat circle look at me with love and vulnerability in their eyes and say, “No one knows what they’re doing. We’re just all doing our very best.”
So we huddle around notebooks, coffee mugs in hand, our minds and hearts eager to learn new tools for bringing mindfulness into our family life. We’re all grateful to be provided some kind of “awareness roadmap” for the relational challenges inherent in the parenting journey. Although no one claims to be an expert, we can share what’s working for us.
Like my friend and colleague Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayers, of Elkins Park, who began teaching cooking to her son George in order to address his need to connect with others and stay focused. In her words, “When we cook, George and I work easily in relationship. I may pour and he may stir, or vice versa. We measure, mix and mash in a healthy back and forth way.” Her book, The Kitchen Classroom, and related classes offer a way that parents and kids can practice awareness of one another in a way that’s mutually rewarding, fun and inexpensive (page 22).
I loved learning that at Tinicum Art and Science, cooking is part of the curriculum. For those that prefer sticking close to their own kitchens, Ellen Sue Spicer-Jacobson, of Bala Cynwd, offers a kid-capable recipe from her cookbook, The Whole Foods Experience (page 21).
Kathleen Krol and Jacquelyn O’Malley have excellent suggestions about how we can create the conditions for peaceful communication in the home and steer clear of "tantrum territory" (pages 17 and 18). By minimizing distractions and limiting the number of stimuli in the home environment, we create space and time for both parties to more fully process what's happening and to respond thoughtfully.
No matter what our parenting philosophy, we can support one another in our shared intention to build strong, happy families. In letting go of our anxieties about what's good and what's bad, we can more easily drop into the moment of clarity, love and connection with our kids and ourselves.
To doing our best, Karen
