Back to the Basics – Brain Development
Do you think about your child’s brain development? I didn’t until something seemed to be off. If you said “no” to that question, don’t feel badly. It’s pretty common for us to be reactive instead of proactive.
In our culture, we don’t go to the pediatrician and say, “My child is eating well, sleeping well and generally can regulate his emotions. How do I keep this up?” We don’t notice our child’s brain function until something is off.
What if we could be proactive? What if we Moms knew a thing or two about brain function that we could apply at home?
Are you in the driver’s seat of your child’s neurological future?
Do you have a roadmap?
Are you in backseat?
Do you know how your child is doing?
Is there an area he is struggling with?
Can you work smarter instead of harder?
Are you scrambling because you are plugging in a few things you hear and not making any progress?
Why do so many kiddos struggle?
Brain Development. A child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to three—producing more than a million neural connections each second. The development of the brain is influenced by many factors, including a child’s relationships, experiences and environment.
“We are all shaped by our genetic birthright and by the environment in which we live. To a developing fetus, the mother’s womb is an entire universe. If the mother has a healthful lifestyle, her uterus will share that with the growing child. But if the mom suffers from chronic stress, consumes such toxins such as alcohol and drugs, or doesn’t eat properly, the fetus is exposed to those dangers right along with the mother. An infant’s neurochemistry reflects his or her very first home-the uterus.”- The Connected Child
When my adopted kids first came “home”, they struggled in many areas of development. They weren’t stupid. They had just missed key components of development. When those components were added in, their brains will grew. It’s absolutely amazing! I am not an expert. I am a Mom who did a lot of research and applied what I learned.
There are many factors in why so many kiddos struggle when it comes to development. Here are four:
The basics have been left behind.
Nutrition has been thrown out the window.
Movement has been replaced by a sedentary lifestyle.
Relationship has been replaced by entertainment.
I’ll be covering each of these topics in a little more detail over the next week. The good news? There are many practices that you can put in place at home that will grow your child’s brain! Isn’t that amazing? You can have the roadmap. You can know where you need to go next. You can be in the driver’s seat of your child’s neurological future.