The Mindful Parent

Strategies from Peaceful Cultures to Raise Compassionate, Competent Kids

By: Charlotte Peterson

Narrated by: Elisa Carlson

Over the last four decades, American hospitals have seen a steady increase in children suffering from psychological disorders, peer violence, and suicide attempts. To figure out why this is happening and how to put an end to it, child psychologist Dr. Charlotte Peterson has been spending six months every five years living in indigenous villages and observing their parenting practices. What she's found is that the people of peaceful cultures, particularly the Tibetan, Bhutanese, and Balinese people, know something we Westerners, despite our modernity, don't, and their children are happier, healthier, and more balanced because of it.

What Dr. Peterson has found is that the children in these cultures are raised with a high degree of cherishing and empathy. Attachments are promoted by intensive nurturing of infants and gentle, clear limit-setting with toddlers that teaches self-control and builds self-esteem. The result, as Dr. Peterson has found after visiting these places again and again, is children who are trusting, enjoyable, and kind, - not "spoiled", as we might imagine.

The Mindful Parent brings together Dr. Peterson's village interviews, observations, research, and over 35 years of work as a psychologist to teach modern parents how to raise healthier, more well-balanced, and kinder children. It includes creative ideas from parents who are currently adopting these practices and balancing other aspects of their personal, career, and financial responsibilities to assure their children get the support they need to thrive.

©2015 Charlotte Peterson (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Great focus, lacking insight

Peterson is writing a book with a crucial underlying premise, that mindfulness and emotional self-awareness is foundational to healthy parenting. Unfortunately, while Terrassa are great ideas in this book, I'm distracted away from them by her clear bias towards Tibetan culture. In the same way I'd be strongly turned off by a book written with a clear ethnocentric bias towards US or Western culture, she idealizes these cultures, advocating sweeping claims of superiority. Very disappointing to me, as a therapist who is also a Buddhist practicioner I was eager to learn more from her on the topic. I'd recommend Parenting from the inside out, by Dan swivel over this book

Valuable information

I was raised in Eastern Europe, but I live in America. I am not raising my children the American way. And I'm so glad I've been listening to my instincts! This book has really hit home with me and confirmed what I was seeing in this country. Western culture on child rearing needs to be shaken up and totally re-written. There is no limit on love and positive attention parents should give to their children.

a must listen

I wish the whole western world would listen to this. I do a lot of things that are "against the grain" but this was so validating for me! I am more in alignment with the rest of the world than what is pushed on us by mainstream narrative in the US.

Interesting research

I found the information and research on more peaceful cultures interesting and they didn't write down a couple of things from this book. For the most part though I felt like this was telling me how as an American I've already screwed up in my parenting. I was looking for more examples of how to be more mindful parent rather than how I have not been one.

Not for parents with children past toddler years

Great in theory, but not helpful unless you're in the planning stage of having children, or are parents of infants and toddlers. Offers very little for anyone past that. Very left leaning and the stories at the end seemed too idealistic.

Bait and switch.

The book opens up with a good premise, the author says she traveled around the world visiting different cultures and learned other ways humans raise children. Cool, let’s see what she has learned. Other than one and a half anecdotes that do seem enlightening about how they raise kids in Bali, there is nothing. No other mention of what other cultures do, besides that practically every other country has a better family leave policy than the US. (Which we all know.) But where is the bits of wisdom from other cultures? They are not in this book.
There is a interesting thing the author mentioned called “Time In” in chapter 6. I would like to learn more about that. But the rest of the book is really “mom shame-y”. It’s basically if you can’t stay home with your kid and breastfeed, then you are not doing enough for your kid. Then it lists all the countries that have better programs than the US. A person buys this book to be a better parent, not to change government policy. then at the end of the book there is stories from letters the author has received. Noting how parents are either really well off and enjoying their kids or are incredibly struggling and enjoying their kids. I might be more open to the wisdom of those stories but the first 3/4 of the book was basically negative and totally not what I was looking for, that by the end of the book my mind and heart was closed off to anything wise that came from it.