Brain Farmers……

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast this month make sure you do. I laughed out loud as I was listening to the gang talked about parents being Brain Farmers -as in growing the brains of young children. Living in rural Iowa it certainly created an interesting picture in my head. My children are 14, 12 and 7 and I guess I’d like to think I’ve done a lot of brain growing over the years.

One thing that really struck me was how each and every experience my children have with me makes a difference in how their brains become connected. That means that all of their experiences good, bad and otherwise have helped to wire the connections in their brains. That’s a lot of responsibility !

Rather than focus on moments I may not be proud of as a parent, I thought about the positive things that has helped to grow their brains. Spending time talking, laughing and playing together grows brains. Ensuring our children get proper sleep, nutrition and physical activity grows and wires their brains.

So really, all of it is important. Each and every little thing makes an impact on their brain. How very cool that just plain ‘doing things’ with our children – that active involvement in their lives- builds their brains. Or like Doug says in the podcast, “ No More Fads Needed”. My kids don’t need the next best gizmo and gadget this Christmas – they just need me!

What are some ways that you have grown your kids’ brains by just being with them? What are some ideas that you could give other parents about how to be ‘with’ their child while growing their brain?

Lori Korthals, M.S.

Mother of three. Lover of all things child development related. Fascinated by temperament and brain development. Professional background with families, child care providers, teachers and community service entities.

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