"The brain is a social organ, made to be in relationship. It's hardwired to take in signals from the social environment, which in turn influence a person's inner world. In other words, what happens between brains has a great deal to do with what happens within each...
Earlier in Chapter 5 of The Whole-Brain Child, authors Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson talked a lot about awareness and helping a child stay in their hub, where they have the ability to bring awareness to what they focus on. From that central place (i.e. hub), a...
Let's be honest, sometimes I just don't know the right questions to ask my kids when I want to better understand what they are feeling. Heck, many times I don't know what I'm feeling myself so it's hard to elicit a response from others, especially our kids. In...
"It's very important that kids learn about and understand their feelings. But it's also true that feelings need to be recognized for what they are: temporary, changing conditions. They are states, not traits...... So we have to help them understand that feelings are...
I am a talker. I talk and talk and talk. Just ask my wife. Maybe it's because I sit and listen all day to others talk. But really, I have always been a talker. I remember as a little kid talking to my mom and dad endlessly. In fact, I have one memory of driving with...
Have you ever noticed how much your children love telling stories? My daughter and son love telling me stories about their adventures each day, whether it be an activity my daughter did during P.E., or my son talking to me about a crash he had on his scooter. It seems...
"Daddy, I want to run!" That was the phrase that came out of my son's mouth before we played the above game of chase on the beach...and this has been his repeated phrase of the last couple of months. It began on our 15.5 hour road trip to Florida. A road trip that I...
This last week we talked about the importance of integrating the upstairs brain with the downstairs brain, and strategy #4 continues with along this same theme. I love the idea in The Whole-Brain Child that "The upstairs brain is like a muscle; when it gets used, it...
I've been talking a lot about the brain in my blog series on The Whole-Brain Child, so I thought it would be helpful to see a simple presentation by Dr. Dan Siegel where he presents a hand model of the brain. I think this will be especially helpful in light of my post...
Have you ever found yourself in the unenviable position of trying to rationalize and negotiate with your toddler who is having an emotional meltdown? All hands should go up. I mean how many of us haven't found ourselves desperately trying to stave off a meltdown in...
