Raising Mentally Strong Kids

CHAPTER I. HEALTHY BRAINS, THE FOUNDATION OF MENTAL STRENGTH, RESPONSIBILITY, EMOTIONAL CONTROL AND SUCCESS You have to be your child's frontal lobes until theirs develop, but you also have to give them the tools to know how to take the driver's seat once their brain does mature. Have you ever known someone who just doesn't get it? The kind of person who continually makes the same mistakes over and over, leading you to wonder what were they thinking? Maybe of a friend or relative, or even a spouse, who has the best intentions but keeps tripping up and creating unnecessary drama in the family. Imagine that this friend is driving on the highway in stop-and-go traffic and sees someone in their rearview mirror tailgating them. This infuriates them and sends their thoughts spinning to how they're going to get back at the tailgater by slamming on the brakes, but while your friend is fixated on the rearview mirror envisioning their revenge, boom! They rear-end the car in front of them. They were so caught up in the moment they neglected to consider the consequences of their actions. Now think of someone else you know, someone who's got it together, you know, the kind of person who's rational and makes such good decisions that they could never be cast in a reality TV show because they would be too boring. Let's say this person finds themselves in the same traffic scenario. They might glance in the rearview mirror and feel fleetingly irritated, but then they let it go and get back to focusing on the road in front of them. No fender-bender for this friend. What's the fundamental difference between these two types of people? Brain health. At Amen Clinics, we've been looking at the brain for over 30 years. We have over 250,000 brain scans from people in more than 150 countries, the world's largest database of brain scans related to behavior. After looking at all these scans over the last few decades, one thing is very clear. When your brain works right, you work right. When your brain is troubled, for whatever reason, you're more likely to have trouble in your life. Everything you and your kids do either helps or hurts your brain function and brain development, and every aspect of your present day and future lives. And your brain health has a major impact on your child's brain health and mental strength. We'll give you the brain basics you need to know to help yourself and your child fall in love with the gray matter between your ears. We'll show you how to love and care for your brain so you can have a drama-free relationship and experience more success at home, in school, and in life. When your brain is healthy, parenting is easier. We promise. We'll also outline how combining better brain function with love and logic's psychology-based child-rearing strategies is the ultimate secret to parenting success. It's the marriage of these two pieces of the parenting puzzle that puts you on the path to raising mentally strong kids and having more fun while doing it. Brain Basics Brains run schools, families, friendships, businesses, churches, and you. Yet most people rarely think about their brains, least of all their children's brains. Yet mental strength starts with a healthy brain. It's so important to know about the brain, love it, and maybe even become a bit obsessed with it, especially for your kid's sake. And it's equally critical to teach your children at an early age to love and care for their own brains. It will make parenting so much easier while setting them up for the mental fortitude that will help them succeed in every area of life. And remember, although it's better to start early, it's never too late to teach your child, adolescent, or young adult about brain health. Let's take a deeper look at the supercomputer inside your head. The human brain typically weighs about three pounds and is the consistency of soft butter, tofu, or custard, and it is housed in a hard skull that has sharp bony ridges. It's no surprise that the brain can be damaged from repeatedly heading soccer balls or from being pounded by helmet-to-helmet tackles in football. The brain is a symphony of parts that work together to create and sustain a life. It is the organ responsible for learning, loving, creating, and behaving. And it is the most complex and amazing organ in the universe.