Wired to Connect - Discipline Shouldn't Hurt

Wednesday, July 23, 2014 3 comments

Across many studies of mammals, from the smallest rodents all the way to us humans, the data suggests that we are profoundly shaped by our social environment and that we suffer greatly when our social bonds are threatened or severed.  When this happens in childhood it can lead to long-term health and educational problems.  We may not like the fact that we are wired such that our well-being depends on our connections with others, but the facts are the facts. - Matthew Lieberman, neuroscientist and author of Social: Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect [1]

Are we being too soft on our kids? I hear that a lot - that parents are "too soft." The idea that we are supposed to be hard on children and that anything less is poor parenting is disturbing and harmful.

We understand about the human brain, connection, attachment, and the value of relationship much more now than ever. We know that the relationship we have with our children affects their development, literally wiring their brains.

Let's go to a little neuroscience 101, because it's important to understand a little bit about how the brain works in order to understand why child discipline needs to change.

I'm no doctor or neuroscientist, so I'm going to directly quote one here. This is from Amy Banks, M.D., director of Advanced Training at the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at the Wellesley Centers for Women; instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; and author of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Relationships and Brain Chemistry.

This is really interesting in the context of the parent-child relationship when we look at mirror neurons. Think about what happens with those mirror neurons when you scowl, slap, smack, or yell at your child. As their brain searches to read your feelings and actions, it begins to light up in those same areas - irritation, anger, aggression, and frustration.  However, what lights up in their brains when you approach them with softness, gentleness, and empathy?

The distress of social pain is biologically identical to the distress of physical pain. What causes social pain in the context of the parent-child relationship? Rejection. Isolation. Dr. Banks explains:


When asked if this can impact a person's physical health as well, Dr. Banks says:

Yes, we are a culture that downplays love and connection and holds tough discipline in high esteemWe train our children by use of pain; either physical pain or social pain. Which is really quite a paradox as children don't learn well through pain. The fear created by being hit or feeling the threat of disconnection from a primary attachment figure triggers the fight or flight response. By it's very nature, this bypasses the rational mind and puts people in attack mode, thereby inhibiting learning.

Why are we having such difficulty in letting go of tough discipline? There's a scientific answer for that as well. The idea that pain or discomfort should accompany lessons is still deeply rooted in our culture, and though the tides are slowly turning as the evidence against it continues to pile in, the use of physical or social pain is still the main method of disciplining children. Dr. Michael Shermer says this:



Basically, we have formed our belief in tough discipline because our families, friends, and culture still support it, and once we have formed that belief, we keep looking to justify it, so we disregard the scientific evidence that proves us wrong. Some of us, of course, are open and receptive to this "new" information, and while I'm sure there's a fascinating scientific explanation for that as well, spiritually I feel that many of us are being led to this path of love and connection.

Blah blah neuroscience. What do I DO?
I knew you were going to ask that. Instant messaging, fast food, magic pills - we like instant gratification, which is another reason smacking and time out are so popular. One thwap and the kid stops immediately. Easy. Instilling real self-discipline takes more time and effort, just like calling a friend up for a chat, preparing a nutritious meal, or exercising regularly, but the payoff is greater. Here are some tips for putting away the tough discipline and teaching through connection.

Before Misbehavior:

Build your relationship. This is the foundation and you can't build anything until you have this. How? Start where you are. If your child is an infant, build trust by responding to cries quickly and with empathy. Bond by lots of talking, touch, and eye contact. If you have a young child, play is the key to connection. Spend quality time every day entering your child's world, connecting through play and stories and snuggles. Learn their love language. With older children, get to know them, really know them - what they like and dislike, how they feel about things, what makes them excited, what they are passionate about. Talk with them, not to them. In all stages, model the behavior you want from your child. Showing them how to be is more powerful than telling them how to be.

Teach proactively. Don't wait for an issue to arise before you teach your child. Teach about handling emotions and life situations through play, when everyone is calm and happy. Use toys to act out scenarios. Role play. Practice at home things like eating in a restaurant or sitting through a service or class. Put on a puppet show to raise awareness about bullying or some other issue your child will face. Look through magazines and point out faces and talk about the emotions of those people. Talk about what you watch on television or what they heard at grandma's house. Teach them calm-down techniques like deep breathing before they get angry. Children are more receptive to lessons when calm, and engaging through play enhances learning.

During Misbehavior:

Remove your child from the situation. If he hit his friend, take him to a private area and get him to calm down. Figure out what prompted him to hit. The action is a clue. Find out what it's pointing to and look for the solution. He may need more emotion coaching, tools to calm himself, a nap, or some food. Hitting him to teach him not to hit isn't the answer.

Is your tween giving you attitude? Walk away. Refuse to be talked to disrespectfully. That doesn't mean you start talking to her disrespectfully to teach her that lesson - that's counterproductive. Simply "I won't be talked to like this. I'll be happy to talk with you when you can be respectful."

Did your child bring home terrible grades and you know he didn't try? It's a problem that needs a solution. Talk with him. Sure, taking his electronics away will make you look pretty powerful, but how does it teach him study skills or motivate him to make better grades? Is he facing a problem at school? Is he being bullied? Is he struggling in a relationship at home? Does he need a tutor? Is he suffering from low self-esteem? Find the root of the problem and work on correcting it. It takes more work than removing electronics, but you won't always be there to take his stuff away. He needs to learn how to manage himself.

Is your daughter whining? Whining is a more mature form of crying, and while it can be very grating on the nerves, it's a signal of a deeper issue. Ignoring the child might make whining stop temporarily, but you need to know why she's whining in the first place. Does she feel powerless? Maybe she needs more choices. Is she overtired? Adjust bedtime.

After Misbehavior:

The hitting scene is over, your child's brain is now regulated (calm), now you teach. Refer to "Before the Misbehavior." Tween's attitude is better? She's now ready to talk respectfully? Refer to "Before the Misbehavior." The child with the bad grades? Follow up with him and his teacher. The way you do that really depends on what you found out was the reason behind the bad grades in the first place. When you come from a place of teaching rather than controlling, you'll know what to do. Whining over? Teach her about communication skills and strong voices.

Quick Summary:

1. Connect! Build your relationship. Build trust. Be on the same team. Work with, not against.

2. Misbehavior is communication. What is it saying? Look for the problem causing the misbehavior. Dr. Neufeld says, "The guiding principle of the incident is to do no harm." Please watch this. Correction doesn't need to be snappy or harsh. Also, it is helpful to approach it with the idea of building up rather than tearing down. Try "I see you're very angry. I'm going to take you to our calm place so you don't hurt your brother. I know you wouldn't want to hurt him. You're a really good sister." Or "Wow, you must be upset to speak to me like that. It's not like you to be disrespectful. Let's talk when you're feeling ready." Or simply "The walls are covered in marker. Here, use this to wipe it off."

3. After you get through the incident, move back into connection and teaching. Show them how to repair relationships and forgive others by modelling it now.

As you can see, positive parenting is quite the opposite of permissive parenting. It is highly involved, proactive parenting. The answers aren't always clear and easy. A good guiding principle: How does this affect our relationship?

[1]  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-are-wired-to-connect/
[2] http://www.wcwonline.org/2010/humans-are-hardwired-for-connection-neurobiology-101-for-parents-educators-practitioners-and-the-general-public
[3] http://www.michaelshermer.com/the-believing-brain/



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Erupting Ice!

Sunday, July 20, 2014 1 comment

What happens when you mix water and baking soda and then freeze it? You get lovely ice blocks to stack and play with. 

So, then what happens when you spray vinegar on them?

Cool science on a hot summer day. :)

I wonder what happens if you add salt and sprinkles? 

"It looks like a rainbow swirl, mom!"

I was out of food coloring that day but rainbow erupting ice would be awesome!

Have a playful day!

Mindful Parenting: Your Language

Monday, July 14, 2014 No comments
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Intentional parenting asks us to be conscious of our own behaviors and how they affect those around us. It is common for us to speak in the same way that our parents spoke to us because we learned early on that is how to communicate. Even if we have learned to speak more kindly or gently than our parents, we can mirror the language and tone of our children if we are not mindful. That's your mirror neurons at work! Do these scenes sound familiar?

"Mom, I don't FEEL LIKE cleaning my room right now!"
"Well you WILL clean RIGHT NOW anyway!"

"Hey, get in the car NOW! We are running late!"

I've noticed that in my case, when I feel overwhelmed or anxious, my language gets negative. I tend to criticize rather an encourage or speak abruptly and with an irritated tone instead of speaking kindly. I also notice that my kids mirror me when I do that, and that tends to start a pretty ugly cycle which can lead to disconnection. It's important for connection that we bring into focus the language we use with our children. For those children whose primary love language is words of affirmation, speaking critically will be especially difficult for them. The same is true for highly sensitive children.

Areas to be mindful of:

Body Language: What is your body language saying? Do you look away when your child is speaking? Do you roll your eyes at their upsets? Do you cross your arms and legs when they talk to you? Be mindful of the body language you use and focus on the language of approval, appreciation, acceptance, listening, and gentleness.

Tone: We've all heard someone say one thing but clearly mean another just by the tone they use. You can say "that's a pretty drawing" without looking up or sounding the least bit interested. Sharp and irritated tones will be reflected back to you as you convey this is an acceptable way to communicate.

Criticism: Criticizing our children is never useful. Make it a goal to be an encourager, not a criticizer. Even when you need to correct your child, you can encourage instead of criticize. Here are 2 examples.

Critical: Why did you hit your brother? You are so naughty!
Encouraging: I know you didn't mean to hurt your brother. You would never hurt him intentionally. How can you make him feel better?

Negativity: It's generally a good idea to steer clear of "never" and "always" statements. "You never pick up your messes!" "You always leave your towel on the floor!" Ditch the negativity in favor of clear, concise instructions. "Please put your towel in the hamper." "Your room needs cleaned before we leave."

Getting control over the language you use will go a long way in creating the positive, peaceful family you want.

Ice Chalk Color Mixing

Today's activity was ice chalk mixing. To create ice chalk, I mixed equal parts corn starch and water in a muffin pan, added food coloring, and froze with a craft stick inside. 

I imagined they'd be able to paint with them, but it didn't quite work that way. We dunked them in water and they started to melt a bit, but still they were useless for drawing. However, we turned it into a great color mixing activity! This was a fun way to demonstrate how yellow and blue make green, red and blue make purple, red and yellow make orange, and so on. They really enjoyed mixing the colors and seeing all the combinations they could make. 

I'll need to work on the recipe to make ice chalk that actually draws, but this was a fun and educational activity for this hot summer day!

Superhero Scavenger Hunt

Friday, July 11, 2014 No comments

Ready for a fun twist on the ever-popular scavenger hunt? Do your kids love to dress up as superheroes? This is going to be a blast!

We are costume junkies, so we already had all of these costumes in our dress up box. I made the boys their scavenger hunt list and laid out the costumes.

I then explained the rules. Look for superhero symbols I've hidden around our house. When you find a symbol, you run back to the corresponding superhero's costume and dress up as that superhero before moving on to find your next symbol. When you do find the next symbol, you come back and dress up as that superhero, and so forth. Of course, there was quite a bit of villain fighting in between the symbols searches which made for a great time!

Swamp Bath!

We love to make bath time super fun in our home. When I saw this amazingly fun sensory bath here at Growing a Jeweled Rose, I knew I had to try this out! Definitely check our her blog for more amazing ideas!

 I started by cooking some spaghetti noodles, then coloring them with plain food coloring.

Next, I added a few drops of green food coloring to their bath water. Note: This does not stain the kids or the tub.  Then I added what few creatures I could find.

Then I dumped in the noodles.

Next: Add children!

My boys loved this wild and wacky bath! They ended up stringing the noodles all over themselves to become swamp monsters!

Afterwards, I just scooped the noodles out of the tub (yep, that took some time) and the did a quick tub wipe down. Totally worth it.

Have a playful day!

I Create My World by Connie Bowen - A Book Review

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 1 comment

 Create My World is a fanciful collection of 16 full-color illustrations paired with a corresponding affirmation. This whimsical book highlights the importance of our thoughts to shape our lives as demonstrated by the law of attraction. Some of the affirmations included in the book are I hold the keys that create my world,; I focus on what I love,; ;I am right on track,; and many more. Encouraging children to use their imagination to interpret each illustration is one of the highlights of this book. Each painting contains its own joyful characters comprising a mini-story in itself.
Empowering children with self-affirmation at a young age can be a stepping stone to a purposeful life of creativity, lasting fulfillment and joy.

 I Create My World is a wonderful introduction to affirmations for children. It's never too soon to begin teaching the power of positive thinking to our children, and I Create My World introduces young children to this powerful tool.

The illustrations are imaginative and engaging. My sons caught on quickly to the fact that the little picture on the left page was hidden somewhere on the right page, so they had a fun time finding the picture. They really enjoyed the whimsical and fun illustrations and the short but powerful affirmations. There are questions at the end of book asking children questions like "Did you find the upside down city" which had my kids searching back through each page, intently looking for the answers to the questions.

This is a beautiful book that children of all ages (and adults too!) will love.

Connie Bowen has written and illustrated a fantastic children's book with a positive message while making it engaging and really fun to look at! My children really enjoyed this book, and I think yours will, too!

You can find I Create My World on Amazon.


Connie Bowen was born in Los Angeles, California and lived in a busy West L.A. suburb by the beach until age 13. It was pure culture shock when she was uprooted from junior high school to move with her mother to the wheat fields and cattle ranching area of the Pacific Northwest known as the Tri-Cities, Washington.

She majored in art at Washington State University and then attended a private business college in Portland, Oregon to study court reporting. After managing her own court reporting firm for 23 years, Connie retired to follow her dream of pursing her art career full-time. 

It was the birth of her son that inspired Connie to create her first children's book of affirmations, "I Believe In Me," published by Unity Books, which won the national Athena Award for 'book as mentor' in the category of spirituality. As of 2012, it has sold over 55,000 copies, including the Spanish edition, "Yo Creo En Mi."

Her second book, "I Turn to the Light," composed of affirmations for healing, soon followed, as did "The Sunbeam and the Wave," written by Harriet Hamilton which Connie illustrated.

Connie's love of animals led her to form a lasting bond with author Susan Chernak, author of "Animals As Teachers and Healers." It was through this connection that Connie went on to illustrate two of Susan's books, "Heart in the Wild," and "All My Relations" for Random House and New World Library.

Connie combines her three passions of metaphysics, art and her love of animals in her animal portraiture and illustrations. Her several hundred animal portraits hang in private collections throughout the United States. 

After a powerful personal shift in spiritual awareness, Connie began an intense quest for all things metaphysical and has continued her study for over two decades. Her deep and abiding interest in bringing concepts of self-esteem and self-love to children continues to inspire her whimsical artistic style.