What kind of mind and body we get to start out with is determined by the complicated dance between our mother's internal chemistry and the information encoded in our DNA.
Our brains, unlike much of the rest of our bodies, is still not finished developing when we are born. Our mother's chemicals can still influence us through her milk, but at this point in our development what influences us the most is input from our environment.. Most importantly from our mother.
There exists inside of each mother and child a beautiful automatic response system that has evolved over millions of years to perfectly orchestrate the final stages of human brain development ( when it is working properly).
When a baby nurses, it's sucking produces a cascade of hormones that not only creates a good feeling for both mother and babe, but also strengthens their emotional attachment and fosters the correct chemical environment for optimal infant cognitive and physical development. When a baby cries it triggers a hormonal emotional response in it's mother (interestingly this response is triggered most strongly in its own mother) to pick up the child, hold it close.. Soothe it. This response triggers more of those optimal hormonal states in the child.
It is so important that we do our best to give our children the best start in life because how their brain develops determines how well they will be able to meet the challenges of life. If we neglect our job at the earliest stages of life we can end up leaving them with brains predisposed to addictions, learning disabilities and other difficulties later in life.
Who knew that simply loving your child can have such a profound impact!
The good news is, even though we may not have started out with the ideal brains, we will always have the opportunity to improve. Brains can change!
No comments:
Post a Comment