A. We were sitting having dinner with friends when Naomi was two months old. They asked us how we enjoyed being parents, and we said that we considered her our greatest teacher. One of them said, "Oh she's your guru, eh?", and I replied "Yes, our goo-roo", spelling it out in baby talk. Hence, the title was born, and we started writing the book the next day.
Q. What do you hope this book teachers parents or parents-to-be about their babies?
A. Babies come with their own instruction manuals built in. You only need to pay attention to them. They have no agendas, and they are not trying to manipulate you. They just want and need absolute love, nourishment, clean diapers and rest. By listening to our babies, we can grow as human beings in ways that few other experiences allow us to do. We can reclaim our own innocence, and express more of the love we all yearn to have in our lives.
Q. Do you have a favorite lesson that you learned from your "little goo-roo"?
A. My own favorite is "Seeing the Miraculous in All Existence". Although we used the example of "a big pile of poop", almost every aspect of the early life of both of our children seems to be miraculous. Watching how the children deal with the simplest things that we normally take for granted as being extraordinary makes it much easier for me to appreciate every aspect of my own life and world, even some that may appear mundane or even distasteful. The wonderment that Naomi and Aaron awaken with each morning infuses my whole day. I only hope that I can allow them to maintain that excitement about all aspects of their lives as they grow older.
Q. I noticed a certain "spiritual" aspect to your book. Would you care to discuss how your own spiritual beliefs helped shape this book?
A. When Naomi was born, I was taking a class in cross-disciplinary spirituality, which examined the major spiritual tenets of all of the main religious traditions on the planet. We discovered that all of the greatest masters in each of the traditions were basically teaching the same ideas, although with different emphasis, depending on the religion. The book became my journal for the class, as each of these ideas kept being reinforced by my experience of parenting Naomi. So, the book should resonate well with people of all traditions, because the ideas in it are shared all over the globe.