So much expertise on parenting. So much guidance on how to raise children "right." Over 13,000 books on Amazon.com.
And yet, every day, ordinary people around the world with no training in the "science of parenting," with no specific child-rearing philosophy or goal, do things spontaneously that startle their children into the realization that they really matter. These can be ephemeral moments, but they can feel catalytic years later, as if they grant us "citizenship" to the world of humans, a sense of belonging, a sense of self to hold onto during those times later in life that threaten to decenter us or even deform us. Soul Moments is a home-grown project to capture such memories of being parented. The stories featured are responses to one question:
"Do you remember a moment when the person who raised you did something that shook you into the realization that she or he really loved you?"
We hope these stories serve as a reminder of the profound potential of ordinary parenting. Let them be an ode to all parents, seasoned and new, who have engaged in, or hope to engage in, ordinary acts of transformational parenting.
