diff --git a/kernel/src/process/exit.rs b/kernel/src/process/exit.rs
index 51414efac..ed716b720 100644
--- a/kernel/src/process/exit.rs
+++ b/kernel/src/process/exit.rs
@@ -49,12 +49,13 @@ pub fn do_exit_group(term_status: TermStatus) {
             for (_, child_process) in current.children().lock().extract_if(|_, _| true) {
                 let mut parent = child_process.parent.lock();
                 init_children.insert(child_process.pid(), child_process.clone());
-                *parent = Arc::downgrade(&init_process);
+                parent.set_process(&init_process);
             }
         }
     }
 
-    if let Some(parent) = current.parent() {
+    let parent = current.parent().lock().process();
+    if let Some(parent) = parent.upgrade() {
         // Notify parent
         let signal = KernelSignal::new(SIGCHLD);
         parent.enqueue_signal(signal);
diff --git a/kernel/src/process/process/mod.rs b/kernel/src/process/process/mod.rs
index a82912dfa..4e1ef7182 100644
--- a/kernel/src/process/process/mod.rs
+++ b/kernel/src/process/process/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
 
+use core::sync::atomic::Ordering;
+
 use self::timer_manager::PosixTimerManager;
 use super::{
     posix_thread::PosixThreadExt,
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ pub struct Process {
     /// Process status
     status: ProcessStatus,
     /// Parent process
-    pub(super) parent: Mutex<Weak<Process>>,
+    pub(super) parent: ParentProcess,
     /// Children processes
     children: Mutex<BTreeMap<Pid, Arc<Process>>>,
     /// Process group
@@ -102,6 +104,63 @@ pub struct Process {
     timer_manager: PosixTimerManager,
 }
 
+/// Representing a parent process by holding a weak reference to it and its PID.
+///
+/// This type caches the value of the PID so that it can be retrieved cheaply.
+///
+/// The benefit of using `ParentProcess` over `(Mutex<Weak<Process>>, Atomic<Pid>,)` is to
+/// enforce the invariant that the cached PID and the weak reference are always kept in sync.
+pub struct ParentProcess {
+    process: Mutex<Weak<Process>>,
+    pid: Atomic<Pid>,
+}
+
+impl ParentProcess {
+    pub fn new(process: Weak<Process>) -> Self {
+        let pid = match process.upgrade() {
+            Some(process) => process.pid(),
+            None => 0,
+        };
+
+        Self {
+            process: Mutex::new(process),
+            pid: Atomic::new(pid),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn pid(&self) -> Pid {
+        self.pid.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+    }
+
+    pub fn lock(&self) -> ParentProcessGuard<'_> {
+        ParentProcessGuard {
+            guard: self.process.lock(),
+            this: self,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct ParentProcessGuard<'a> {
+    guard: MutexGuard<'a, Weak<Process>>,
+    this: &'a ParentProcess,
+}
+
+impl ParentProcessGuard<'_> {
+    pub fn process(&self) -> Weak<Process> {
+        self.guard.clone()
+    }
+
+    pub fn pid(&self) -> Pid {
+        self.this.pid()
+    }
+
+    /// Update both pid and weak ref.
+    pub fn set_process(&mut self, new_process: &Arc<Process>) {
+        self.this.pid.store(new_process.pid(), Ordering::Relaxed);
+        *self.guard = Arc::downgrade(new_process);
+    }
+}
+
 impl Process {
     /// Returns the current process.
     ///
@@ -141,7 +200,7 @@ impl Process {
             process_vm,
             children_pauser,
             status: ProcessStatus::new_uninit(),
-            parent: Mutex::new(parent),
+            parent: ParentProcess::new(parent),
             children: Mutex::new(BTreeMap::new()),
             process_group: Mutex::new(Weak::new()),
             file_table,
@@ -268,12 +327,12 @@ impl Process {
     }
 
     // *********** Parent and child ***********
-    pub fn parent(&self) -> Option<Arc<Process>> {
-        self.parent.lock().upgrade()
+    pub fn parent(&self) -> &ParentProcess {
+        &self.parent
     }
 
     pub fn is_init_process(&self) -> bool {
-        self.parent().is_none()
+        self.parent.lock().process().upgrade().is_none()
     }
 
     pub(super) fn children(&self) -> &Mutex<BTreeMap<Pid, Arc<Process>>> {
diff --git a/kernel/src/syscall/getppid.rs b/kernel/src/syscall/getppid.rs
index 7cfa33d32..f91a67355 100644
--- a/kernel/src/syscall/getppid.rs
+++ b/kernel/src/syscall/getppid.rs
@@ -4,9 +4,5 @@ use super::SyscallReturn;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 
 pub fn sys_getppid(ctx: &Context) -> Result<SyscallReturn> {
-    let parent = ctx.process.parent();
-    match parent {
-        None => Ok(SyscallReturn::Return(0)),
-        Some(parent) => Ok(SyscallReturn::Return(parent.pid() as _)),
-    }
+    Ok(SyscallReturn::Return(ctx.process.parent().pid() as _))
 }