The Meditation Project

My family has just completed a HECTIC week. Swim lessons overlapped with tee ball. Grandparents were in town and home renovations were getting done. My daughter had her first school project and my volunteer commitments had me particularly busy. My kids are still little and we are already running the family rat race!

At the same time, the question, “why meditate?” has been rattling around in my mind. I have been second guessing my decision to pursue this spiritual discipline as I struggle with it. Why not a Bible study? or an intercessory prayer group? I found an answer at the second session of a book study on Ron Taffel’s parenting book "Childhood Unbound".

Taffel points to a change in the pace of life over the past 20 years or more. This shift has taken parents away from offering children periods of undivided attention and a calm household to a lifestyle of managing children’s schedules while multi-tasking. He describes the end result as parents and children missing out on deep engagement. While I cannot go into a thorough discussion of his points here, I recommend this thought-provoking book.

Considering the potential negative results for children of a pressure-filled and hurry-up lifestyle made me realize why my inner longing to find quiet is important. A more tranquil and focused internal world offers me an opportunity to parent more effectively. Making decisions not with the internal clutter of what will people think or what is everyone else doing but rather what is right for my child and my family is important to me. I want to respond to my kids with an open and calm attitude more often in those frenzied moments.

Why meditate? Hopefully to be more present with my children.