Mother’s Day raises big questions: What the heck should I get my mom? Will my kids call me? What to do about my naked preschooler who’s refusing to get dressed?
You’re on your own on questions one and two. But when it comes to No. 3, famed Jewish philosopher Martin Buber can help, according to Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of “Nurture the Wow: Finding Spirituality in the Frustration, Boredom, Tears, Poop, Desperation, Wonder, and Radical Amazement of Parenting.”
In a series of informative and short parenting podcasts on our sister site Kveller, Ruttenberg breaks down how Buber’s theory applies to getting your kid un-naked — and much more.
The book, Ruttenberg writes on Kveller, was inspired by and based upon three main questions: “What does the treasure trove of Jewish wisdom have to offer parents in the thick of their kids’ young years? What do parents have to teach the tradition, so much of which was authored by rabbis who were, let’s face it, not particularly engaged in the labor of childcare? And, most importantly: How is parenting a spiritual practice in its own right?”
The podcasts — each about five to seven minutes long — provide an “extended dance remix” of these themes, she writes.
Fun and inspiring, you can give all five of them a listen here:
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