Nurture the Wow
Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting
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- 79,00 kr
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- 79,00 kr
Publisher Description
A deeply affecting, funny, insightful meditation that challenges readers to find the spiritual meaning of parenting.
Every day, parents are bombarded by demands. The pressures of work and life are relentless; our children’s needs are often impossible to meet; and we rarely, if ever, allow ourselves the time and attention necessary to satisfy our own inner longings. Parenthood is difficult, demanding, and draining. And yet, argues Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, if we can approach it from a different mindset, perhaps the work of parenting itself can offer the solace we seek.
Rooted in Judaism but incorporating a wide-range of religious and literary traditions, Nurture the Wow asks, Can ancient ideas about relationships, drudgery, pain, devotion, and purpose help make the hard parts of a parent’s job easier and the magical stuff even more so? Ruttenberg shows how parenting can be considered a spiritual practice—and how seeing it that way can lead to transformation. This is a parenthood book, not a parenting book; it shows how the experiences we have as parents can change us for the better.
Enlightening, uplifting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Nurture the Wow reveals how parenthood—in all its crazy-making, rage-inducing, awe and joy-filled moments—can actually be the path to living fully, authentically, and soulfully.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ruttenberg (Surprised by God) takes up the ancient quandary of how to situate spiritual practice alongside effective parenting and considers the question: "What if parenting were considered a spiritual practice in its own right?" The book searches the depths of Judaism and other religious traditions for what each can teach parents, but also reverses the question to ask what parents can bring to religious and spiritual traditions. Eschewing easy answers and prescriptive diagnosis, Ruttenberg encourages homing in on the wonder of the universe, the creator, and the "wow" that parents and children can engage in together. A standout chapter exploring the depths of parental fears and issues of control will have readers contemplating ways to embrace the unknown in their spiritual and personal lives: "As much power as we have over our children's lives, as much as we are able to control who they are and how they will be in the world in some respects, there are certain important things that we can't control. Ever." Ruttenberg's personal struggle makes the book relatable to practitioners of all faiths. This is great gift for parents-to-be or new parents who are wrestling with how to stay grounded and maintain their spirituality in the hectic early years of raising a family.
