Parenting 101

The Whole Brain Child is an excellent resource for understanding and nurturing children. Even difficult ones.

Here are some of my notes that might help you with parenting and in all of your relationships.

The Whole Brain Child helps children process info not forget. Connect not neglect. Integration not Disintegration. Not chaos not rigidity-well being, harmony. Left brain is text, letter of the law. Right brain is context. Left is linear. Connect and redirect instead of arguing. Name it to take it: have child retell the story so you can integrate their brain. Put a name on it and it calms your mind. Name your pain so you can tame. Connect first, solve second!!!!!! Upstairs brain regulates emotions. Amygdala alerts of danger. Size of almond. Physical activity calms the brain. The integrated windshield. Tell others what emotion your feeling. They should have a full pallet of emotions; not black and white. Insight and empathy comprise mindset. Active author not a passive scribe for your life. Engage don’t enrage. Save your “no”for when you really need it. Ask brain growing questions. Lead the witness. Internal remote. I feel > I am. Connect through conflict. 

Maybe difficult relationships can be bettered by understanding and integration. It’s worth the effort to learn and apply the above ideas.