ZERO TO THREE’s Post

Check out an article in Psychology Today on how adults help kids regulate their emotions.

Unfortunately, many caregivers face the challenge of knowing what to do but struggling to implement it in their own lives. Self-regulation, setting boundaries, and validating emotions are essential skills, but what happens when a caregiver never caught these from their own caregiver? Even for adults, the key lies in "catching" these skills rather than teaching them. Merely reading books or articles may not be sufficient; instead, experiences play a crucial role in developing these abilities. That's why Brave Restoration was created. It offers safe spaces for adults to engage in new interactions, enabling them to "catch" the ability to co-regulate effectively. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation, where you needed to "catch" a new behavior and reading a book about it just didn't work? #neurochange #braverestoration #peoplerestoration #braveneurochange #bravehealstogether

The development of a child's ability to regulate their emotions and behavior often occurs later than caregivers anticipate or hope for. This process is significantly shaped by the caregiver's own capacity for self-regulation. Emotional and behavioral regulation in children involves the ability to manage one's emotions appropriately in different situations and to exhibit behaviors that are socially acceptable and adaptive. Caregivers typically have expectations regarding when children should achieve these milestones. However, developmental timelines vary widely among children, and the acquisition of these skills is influenced by numerous factors, with the caregiver's own ability to self-regulate playing a crucial role. Caregivers serve as primary models for children, demonstrating through their own behavior how to manage emotions like frustration, anger, or sadness effectively. When caregivers demonstrate healthy emotional regulation, children are more likely to learn and adopt these skills themselves. Conversely, caregivers who struggle with emotional regulation may inadvertently model less effective strategies, which can delay a child's development of these crucial skills. Therefore, the journey towards effective emotional and behavioral regulation in children is not only a matter of individual growth but also deeply interconnected with the environment and caregivers around them. By understanding this interplay, caregivers can provide a supportive and nurturing environment that fosters the development of these skills at a pace that aligns with the child's individual developmental trajectory.

In my journey from early childhood education to working with young clients in therapy, I've seen firsthand the profound impact of adult emotional regulation on child development. The ability of caregivers to tolerate a child's distress without jumping into saving mode or resorting to toxic positivity is crucial. This article highlights how adult coregulation leads to child self-regulation, emphasizing that our ability to stay calm and empathetic in the face of a child’s big emotions is key to their learning self-soothing and emotional resilience. It's a reminder that, as adults, our emotional health directly influences the well-being and development of the children we care for.

Being a mom is the most rewarding, joyful, important, and most challenging part of my world. The responsibility to raise a child is a great one that takes a strong skill set, including my own abilities to self-regulate and coregulate. The research findings here are important for anyone but hold a different level of meaning for anyone who serves children and their families/caregivers. This quote from the article stands out, “It is a lot of pressure on adults to be able to regulate their emotions so they can support their child. Caregivers also need to know that helping their child calm down when they are upset—coregulating with them—is not giving in or spoiling them. It is teaching them the important skill of self-soothing through being soothed.” In the educatioal, social, and health sectors, this body of research can help us to consider how we support caregivers in the ways we develop understanding and modeling of what this means and looks like through the ways we: interact, listen, empower, notice their assets and talents, and create genuine relationships and safe spaces to support them.

Just the title of the article is so powerful!

This is so important

I spoke on this topic in a workshop for the Virginia Association for Infant Mental Health last fall. Co-regulation is at the core of Create Calm and Radiant Child Yoga teaching methods. Read more about why it’s so crucial to social engagement and emotional balance in this article from Psychology Today. Thanks for sharing, Tracy Walters .

What happens when a client stops coming to therapy? Why? How do therapists react? How do therapists make sense of these unexpected treatment endings? Listen to episode 7 of Psychology Plus to learn what might lead to such unexpected endings and how to possibly make sense of them! Featuring Dr. Christina Spragg!! https://lnkd.in/gnen7sEk