From the Prologue of Everyday Blessings, gentle thoughts on paying attention by Jon Kabat-Zinn:
For me, mindfulness—cultivated in periods of stillness and during the day in the various things I find myself doing—hones an attentive sensitivity to the present moment that helps me keep my heart at least a tiny bit more open and my mind at least a tiny bit clear, so that I have a chance to see my children for who they are, to remember to given them what it is they most need from me, and to make plenty of room for them to find their own ways to be in the world.
But the fact that I practice meditation doesn't mean that I am always calm or kind or gentle, or always present. There are many times when I am not. It doesn't mean that I always know what to do and never feel confused or at a loss. But being even a little more mindful helps me to see things I might not have seen and take small but important, sometimes critical steps I might not otherwise have taken.
... and not just as a parent relating to one's children, of course.
^z - 2014-06-16