1. Visual And Auditory Overstimulation.
Things like screentime, TVs, tablets, laptops and cell phones. Your brain needs sensory input to develop and grow. Most of the sensory input into your brain comes from movement of your spine. Kids especially need to be moving all the time, instead of stuck in front of a screen.
How much of the sensory input comes from movement? Over 80%!
2. Food Dyes, Pesticides and Preservatives.
We hear a lot about this and you can find lists of them when you just google it. It’s pretty easy to find.
What we want to talk about is…food is fuel to our body.
It’s how our body grows and what it uses for energy. However, dyes, pesticides and preservatives are not for fueling a human body. They’re for the looks of the food – giving a richer, deeper color. And they’re added to food for the shelf life of that food. Which means, they’re put into food to prevent the food from breaking down, not on the shelf and not inside the body for digestion.
Here are a couple of lists of common foods. Ones that you definitely want to buy organic (The Dirty Dozen). And a list of food that don’t need to be organic to be clean (The Clean Fifteen).
3. Sitting.
We don’t think about that one very much, but our bodies are made to move.
“Motion is lotion.”
“Movement is life.”
Digestion, healing and brain development all happen as we move. If we’re not moving, those things can’t happen well.
Our kids sit all day at school, so when they get home, give them a release. Send them to play, to move and to think creatively. As parents, this is one way we can help their brain work.
4. The Power Struggle Between You and Your Kids
Everyone can tolerate a certain amount of stress. And if their cup is already almost full, having a parent complain or getting angry with them, leads to their cup to overflow and then they shut down. They don’t know how to respond.
Some kiddos even get very explosive with this.
5. Forcing Stressful Situations.
Consider that your child might actually be feeling, truly feeling, that a situation is dangerous. Their brain might really perceive it that way. So, if their sensory system is not functioning properly, then they can absolutely feel danger – in a safe situation.
That’s a key point in parenting. Give your child grace as you understand this. And give yourself grace. Because they can’t help it – and you didn’t know.
6. “Helping” Our Kids.
Our God made our brain to develop in a certain process. It’s a process of repetition and progression.
If we interrupt that process and try to help them when they’re brain’s not ready for the next step, that can get in the way. Neuroligically we need to master one step at a time.
Think…tummy time first which helps in their building strength to hold their head up; then sitting; then crawling; before walking. So make sure they’re going through all of those steps without you forcing them to move on to the next one.
Think of a caterpillar in a chrysalis, working and developing to become a butterfly. On the outside, the chrysalis looks calm and still. However, inside there is an amazing amount of work going on.
And if we decide to ‘help’ and clip the end of that chrysalis before the development and progression has happened.
Well, out comes – not a butterfly and not a caterpillar. Repetition, progression, development and proper information are vital in the growth of a child.
There is so much benefit to the progression of milestones, like we talked about last week. If you haven’t clicked to join our FB event Magnificent Milestones coming up next week on Oct 9, click here. We’d love to have you!
7. Sugar And Stimulants
We’ve had the blessed opportunity to work with sooo many kids that are just AMPED up. They love sugar so much that they will fight, scream and yell because they know that most times parents will give in because it’s easier.
So, what happens is that sugar and stimulants amp up your child’s brain like a drug. They’re chemicals. Stimulants like caffeine.
How can you tell if your child is amped up?
The two most common signs are (1)they don’t listen well, and (2) they don’t have control over their actions and for some reason we expect them to.
The neurological long term effects in development (how the brain is affected in the long term) is it gives them a tendency to have a ‘bent’ toward over-stimulating activities. Such as, over-stimulating or dangerous situations, constant desire for outside sensory input, chemical use as an adult or a teenager.
What happens if you stop so much sugar? That’s the good news! When we stop eating, drinking and taking stimulants, the brain will adapt and become relaxed. God designed it that way.
