Buddhism for Mothers: A calm approach to caring for yourself and your children

By Sarah Napthali

Parenthood can be a time of great inner turmoil for a woman, yet parenting books invariably focus on nurturing children rather than the mothers who struggle to raise them. This book is different. It is a book for mothers.
Buddhism for Mothers encourages mothers to gain the most joy out of being with their children. How can this be done calmly and with a minimum of anger, worry and negative thinking? How can mothers negotiate the changed conditions of their relationships with partners, family and even with friends?
Using Buddhist practices, Sarah Napthali offers coping strategies for the day-to-day challenges of motherhood that also allow space for deeper reflection about who we are and what makes us happy. By acknowledging the sorrows as well as the joys of mothering Buddhism for Mothers can help you shift your perspective so that your mind actually helps you through your day rather than dragging you down. This is Buddhism at its most accessible, applied to the daily realities of ordinary parents.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781925575330

Reviews for Buddhism for Mothers

[pussreboots · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the book. There were times when I found the author making too many assumptions on how a mother's life is. Not all mothers chose to stay home with the kids. I also found the numerous quotations from other mothers distracting so I have to admit to skipping most of them. Nonetheless I enjoyed the book and came away with some interesting ideas. I happened to read this book at the same time as In Praise of Slowness and I find that the two books work well together as companion pieces.

[liciasings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this an interesting, useful, and uplifting book. Though I am not a Buddhist and have no intention of ever calling myself one, I found it interesting to read about practices, words and ways of thinking which can match up beautifully with my own faith, and support my own spiritual journey. I skimmed through some sections, and found much of it somewhat repetetive, but there are many bits of helpful and encouraging wisdom I'll be taking away from this book. It also seems to be a relevant way for a mother of young children to learn something about the basics of Buddism.

[brandie_14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Napthali wrote a lot of being peaceful and calm, and the book felt peaceful and calm. The preface spoke to me in so many levels and when I read that I knew I had to read the whole book!That said, I don't plan on becoming Buddhist (which I have to say in case some relatives read this and start to panic and call me to talk to me about it LOL!) But, there are some great ideas in there that are too good to borrow.I think Napthali is a gifted writer and I love how she sprinkled her own personal stories in about when she was less than patient or peaceful or calm. It sort of takes the pressure off of the reader. I don't have to worry about being perfect, I only have to worry about doing better is really what I felt a huge message of the book was.I loved some of the analogies she uses in here - when she compares emotions to visitors who are coming over. I've already repeated that a few times - it's such a great, understandable way to get the point across to not be afraid of our emotions. I loved the section on meditation - something I've wanted to do but still haven't. Although at the end, it was also clear her intent was to speak to Buddhist mothers or to try to convert some of us to become Buddhist mothers. As I said, I have no intention of doing that. She talks about how you can meditate outside of Buddhism, but she makes it sound like doing that would automatically mean you weren't a part of a loving community out to care for others and be kind and wonderful and loving. I feel I already have that sort of community around me - that it doens't just exist in Buddhist communities. But overall, I really thought this was a great book and I'm glad I read it!