Kate, for example, found that she could no longer listen to music expressing pain and anger. During the year after my child's birth, my eyes would fill with tears at the slightest hint of anything touching. The impact of sad stories was so heavy and long-lasting that I had to avoid reading newspapers. I could cry. I feel from the child's point of view.
Children love their parents so much.
Empathy makes us vulnerable to other people's sorrows, and as painful as this may be, it is the glue that holds communities together. Imagine for a moment that we all could feel such empathy, all the time. This piece was contributed by Elisabeth Hallett, the author of the book Soul Trek. It is part of a six piece series, The Postpartum Rainbow. I look to these realms for clues to life's inner workings and the secrets of our own nature.