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Author Jon Kabat-Zinn is arguably best known for his best-selling book, "Wherever You Go, There You Are." However, in his book, "Everyday Blessings: The Art of Mindful Parenting," Kabat-Zinn teams up with his wife, Myla, to bring the life lessons of "Wherever" to the art of parenting. The Kabat-Zinns' goal was to provide parents or parents-to-be with an outline of how to be mindful parents to children of all ages.

The Kabat-Zinns approach contemporary parenting from a zen-centered, Buddhist-inspired point of view, suggesting that parents make an effort to slow down the characteristically fast-paced nature of our modern day societies to return to basics with our parenting styles. The Kabat-Zinns encourage parents to nurture their children by being emotionally available and providing adequate amounts of "quality time." The parenting experts advocate a more lenient parenting style, suggesting that children should not be kept on a strict schedule or a time-centered routine, but should be allowed to fully revel and appreciate the messiness of growing up.

One of the most fascinating aspects of "Everyday Blessings" is that the duo use a number of their own personal parenting experiences to teach other parents how to enhance their children's lives by cultivating their appreciation for life's most precious gifts. These personal accounts undoubtedly allow the reader to establish a closer connection to the duo advising them on their child-rearing techniques. In addition, the Kabat-Zinns provide a touch of humor, even when dealing with some of the most controversial parenting issues ever raised.

Overall, I found that for parents with ample time and energy, the Kabat-Zinn methods of mindful parenting seem truly wonderful. However, I feel that the techniques that encourage calm and mindful parenting are simply idealistic and have only a small chance of ever working in the hectic chaos of the "real world." Today, most parents are overwhelmed with busy lives that are saturated with professional work, home and family activities and a plethora of other responsibilities that simply do not leave enough time for parents to be "mindful" on amoment-to-moment basis.

While it seems that the Kabat-Zinn Buddhist methods are idealistic, there are certainly some people with the time and discipline required to truly train oneself to be mindful whenever possible. Undoubtedly, if we were all more mindful whenever we were making decisions and engaging in certain acts throughout the course of our days, we would all be much more appreciative of the decisions we are required to make.

Whether you want some tip to help you become a more mindful parent, or whether you are just interested on learning more about alternative ways to raise your children, Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn's "Everyday Blessings: The Art of Mindful Parenting," is a great book with loads of information that could help make parenting smoother for you.

Learn more about this author, Krystle Hernandez.
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