What does brain science have to do with parents and the way we raise our kids?

When we come from a gentle parenting perspective, we try to respond to our children in moments of upsets rather than react to them with harshness, we try to come at each situation with empathy and compassion. We try to set limits warmly and to listen in times of anger, need or distress.

But that can be really hard in the moment!

How can we keep calm and respond well when our children have legs and arms flailing? When they are about to hit the cat or pull a sibling's hair? Or howling at the dinner table?

We can when we understand what's happening with their emotions. That happens when we look at what happens to the brain when upsets kick in.

How Does the Brain Affect Behavior?

In this podcast episode, Abigail gives a good rundown of the parts of the brain and how these factor in what you and your children experience when tensions rise at home.

Using Dan Siegel’s hand model to describe what the brain looks like when a person "flips their lid," and the flight, freeze, flight responses that follow, Elle discovers her response is to "possum" and Abigail talks about what we can feel and what our children feel when we meltdown, so that we can start to resolve the issues we have when situations begin to feel out of control.

Why Calm Equals Co-Regulation

The hosts finish by talking about how when we as parents move in with calm we can actually help co-regulate our children when they are having hard moments, moving away from power struggles and into partnership, and they talk some ways to achieve this.

Come listen in and learn how brain science fuels our behaviors and how by understanding it, we can create calmer, more contented households.

Get Your Freebies!

Learn more about what happens when your child cries and how to support them best in these moments with Hand in Hand's Crying e-Book. Just for you podcast listeners it's free when you put GETCRYING in at the checkout.

Do you want to learn how best to apply Hand in Hand's tools with your own family? You can work with an instructor and a small group of like-minded parents to apply to the tools to your own challenges over 6-weeks in our Online Starter Class. Through February you can get $100 off when you put 2018SUPPORT in at checkout. Don't worry if you can't take the class in February - as long as you buy this month, you have a year to take your class.

Keep Connected

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations, and learn more about her 30-Day Family Reset here.

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter