First and foremost, I could not have written about parenting without the immensely positive and loving parenting I myself received. My parents have given me the foundation not only for my professional life as a clinician but also for my personal life as a parent. Intergenerational transmission isn’t just about negative behaviors—it’s also about the gifts we inherit from the generations before.
Many others also have my unending gratitude for directly or indirectly shaping and shepherding this book. I owe an incredible debt to my many clients—parents, children, or otherwise—who have trusted me with their pain and inspired me with their courage. Many colleagues have contributed ideas, feedback, and encouragement along the way. My friends at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP) have been an ongoing source of support. I’m thankful to my fellow authors and mindfulness aficionados (Dzung Vo, Susan Kaiser-Greenland, Mark Bertin, Elisha Goldstein, and Steve Hickman), who gave of their time and expertise to review and comment on this book. In particular, I owe immense thanks to my friend, colleague, and mindful partner in crime, Dr. Chris Willard. Chris, your energy, intellect, and grace are indirectly reflected in much of my writing and speaking these days.
I owe, too, a great debt of thanks to my wife, Lisa, and our two children, Celia and Theo. Your patience and support as I place my attention on projects other than my daily sharing with you is a gift I can never fully repay. I promise to give you more of my presence, in every sense of the word.
Lastly, a big thank you to the team at New Harbinger (Jess O’Brien, Clancy Drake, Jesse Burson, and Amy Johnson) for consistently doing the good work of turning ideas and words into books with the potential to impact a wide swath of people.
All parents deserve compassion and peace. The pains of parenthood are universal to us all. Let’s not allow such pains to drown out the beauty of what we’ve brought into the world.