The Whole Brain Child Key Points

Seeing my son’s feet for the first time made me think that those tiny feet that were lost in the palms of my hands would someday be wearing big, teenage boy sneakers. It was then when I realized that our relationship was just starting and I wanted to do things right. I felt this little being grow inside of me, the one I dreamt of meeting in person, who heard me talk, laugh, cry and sing while inside of my belly. My son would be a man someday, and it was my duty to teach him how to trust, love, be a good friend and find confidence within himself.

While my son was an infant I turned my attention to a book I had heard of countless times before called, TheWhole Brain Child. Authors, Bryson, Ph.D. and Siegel, MD are experts in the field of developmental psychotherapy and mindfulness and I was eager to learn their unique perspectives on parenting. Bryson is a pediatric and adolescent psychotherapist and a parenting consultant. She is also director of the Mindsight Institute, where they do extensive researched on mindfulness. Siegel is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine, where he is co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center.

Four years after reading The Whole Brain Child and countless other books written by Bryson and Siegel, I would have the honor of attending a three-day intensive workshop led by Dr. Siegel for my job. During my training, I could sense that Dr. Siegel was indeed the real deal; the kind of parent who lived by the tenants of his teachings and had a deep understanding of the intricate inner workings of a child’s developing brain. So I would like to share some of the book's knowledge with my readers.

The Whole Brain Child

• Examines both the left and right hemispheres of a child’s brain. The left (upstairs brain) is responsible for logic and the right (downstairs brain) is in charge of a child’s emotions.
• Demonstrates ways to connect the upstairs and downstairs brain. 
• Teaches parents how to help children redirect overwhelming emotions through logic. 
• Helps parents to teach their children that feelings are temporary and that they will pass.
• Children, toddlers specifically have to learn skills like sharing, forgiving, sacrifice and listening.
• How to respectfully express displeasure to a child when necessary, while setting firm boundaries and consequences that relate to misbehavior.
• How to build close bonds through family time. 
• "Playful parenting" is one of the best ways to prepare your children for relationships and encourage them to connect with others. That's because it gives them positive experiences being with the people they spend the most time with, their parents.
• Conflict in interpersonal relationships is a means of connecting on a deeper level and builds trust.
• Parents are encouraged to truly reflect on their relationship with their parents to make sense of how they will relate and teach their own children. 

This book illustrates a Positive Disciplinary viewpoint, which spoke to me on a personal level. It also includes a ‘Refrigerator Sheet,’ which brings the main points of the book together, as well as some subtle ways to introduce mindfulness exercises to children. For those of you looking for a more step-by-step approach to this book, there is a workbook version of The Whole Brain Child

that has the same information but in a more direct way.

After reading The Whole-Brain Child it taught me that as hard as it is to raise a child, it is just as hard being one. Children are discovering how to manage big emotions and gauge the world around them from day-to-day. It is our job as caregivers to stay centered as best as we know how and to show them that what they feel is okay. In doing so we could be their teachers and help guide them through the process of becoming human.

Source

Bryson, T.B. & Siegel, D.J. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, Survive Everyday Parenting Struggles, and Help Your Family Thrive. New York, NY: Random House Inc.