Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids: The One Brain Book You Need to Help Your Child Gr

The Nile on eBay Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids by David Walsh The author of “Why Do They Act That Way?” has written a complete guide to parenting from birth through the teen years, with recommendations that will help maximize any child’s potential. “Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids” equips parents with usable information across a range of topics, like exercise, nutrition, play, and more. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Now in paperback–launched in hardcover with major TV and radio interviews–author David Walsh’s latest groundbreaking book is “an entertaining and highly elucidating useful volume for the twenty-first-century parent” (Publishers Weekly). From birth onward, a child’s brain develops in amazing ways. Whether you’re pregnant with your first child or trying to figure out why adolescents act the way they do, parenting expert Dr. David Walsh shows you how to make the most of the latest breakthroughs in brain science and psychology in this complete, cradle-to-college guide to parenting. Backed by science and filled with stories, Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids finds the practical advice in groundbreaking scientific headlines about memory, language, emotions, nutrition, play, and more. Dr. Walsh equips you with usable information about exercise, sleep, emotional intelligence, connection–all of which work together to help kids reach their full potential. Some of the recent discoveries in neuroscience confirm age-old parental wisdom, while other discoveries will prompt some immediate changes. With accessible explanations and handy tool kits for building your personalized brain-wise parenting plan, Dr. Walsh helps you help your kids grow up healthy, happy, and smart as you navigate today’s unique challenges–including bullying, stress, and the risks of the Internet and other digital media. Particularly timely in its information on the highly adaptable teenage brain and how to help adolescents manage the transition into adulthood, this is a personal plan for the most important job in the world: raising kids. Author Biography David Walsh, Ph.D., is one of the most sought-after speakers in America on child and teen psychology, parenting, and children’s brain development. Founder of Mind Positive Parenting in Minneapolis, he is an award-winning psychologist, author of Why Do They Act That Way? and No, a television personality, and the subject of a nationally televised PBS special, Raising Media-Wise Kids. Review “His practical advice is delivered in a breezy style, with many first-person examples to help parents understand how the brain develops and apply that knowledge….Today’s parents will appreciate the modern applications and additional resources. A helpful guide.” –Kirkus Reviews Review Quote “His practical advice is delivered in a breezy style, with many first-person examples to help parents understand how the brain develops and apply that knowledge.…Today’s parents will appreciate the modern applications and additional resources. A helpful guide.” – Kirkus Reviews Excerpt from Book Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids ONE Our Children”s Amazing Brains The phone rang as I returned to my office. “Hello, this is Dr. Dave Walsh,” I said as I sat down at my desk. “Hi, my name is Eleanor Stephenson. My husband and I were at your seminar in Lake Crystal, Minnesota, a few weeks back. We found it helpful, and I wonder if you have a minute to give me some advice.” “I”ll try,” I replied. “Thanks,” she said. “Our son Jeremy is in second grade and we are having a problem with his teacher. I really need help knowing what to do.” “What problem are you having?” I asked. “Well, we had parent conferences the other night,” she began, “and Jeremy”s teacher told us that Jeremy had difficulty paying attention in class. I didn”t say anything, but I knew this couldn”t possibly be true. Jeremy can play video games for hours on end without blinking. It”s clear Jeremy can pay attention, so I think the problem is with his second grade classroom–it”s too boring. Do you have a suggestion for how I can handle this?” “Well, Eleanor, there may be another explanation for what”s happening. It may not be the teacher”s problem. As a parent,” I said, “you, too, have probably noticed how hard it is to get your kid to pay attention to math homework, while he has no problem sticking with a video game for hours on end. This is explained by the way the brain pays attention. The brain is equipped with two attention systems. One, reactive attention, is located deep within the brain”s emotional center, automatic, instinctive, and involuntary. When something moves or is very stimulating in our environment, we automatically react and focus our attention, very handy when our ancestors needed to watch out constantly for danger. “The second system is called ”focused attention” and is located in a different part of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex or the executive center, right behind our forehead. We use the focused attention system when we decide to pay attention. Unlike reactive attention, this one is not automatic. Focused attention is only developed with a lot of practice. It”s very important because we need focused attention to learn things that aren”t naturally stimulating. For example, word rhyming, a second grade reading skill, is not particularly exciting, learned only by listening closely, paying attention to word endings, and practicing words.” Eleanor and her husband realized that their son”s reactive attention was engaged with video games, while his classroom work needed focused attention. The distinction between reactive and focused attention is important to keep in mind–really important when we listen to teachers talk about their struggles to keep kids” attention these days. We”ll explore in chapter 4 the important relationships between attention and memory and learning. For now this one example illustrates how recent brain science discoveries can help parents, teachers, coaches, or anyone interested in kids do a better job of raising healthy, successful children in the 21st century. Parenting and our children”s amazing brains–that”s the focus of this book. I”ll explain what brain scientists have learned about children”s brains from prenatal development through the teen years. Whether you”re pregnant with your first child or trying to figure out why adolescents act the way they do, you”ll find important information and practical advice. The emphasis throughout will be on science made practical. The chapters will include checklists, tool kits, sample dialogues, conversation starters, and lists of dos and don”ts. Unlocking the Brain”s Secrets Consider a newborn”s three-quarter-pound brain and the teenager”s three-pound wonder: their brains control everything they do and who they are. As director of mundane but critical tasks like regulating body temperature and heart rate as well as higher functions like solving quadratic equations and falling in love, the brain works even when we”re sound asleep. While it occupies only 2 percent of our body mass, the brain burns 20 percent of our body”s energy. Only recently have we begun to discover how the brain really works or develops. The brain is a particularly difficult organ to investigate. We can”t easily observe it, so we have to try other methods to explain the activity inside our heads. For centuries scientists devised theories, based not on direct observation of a living brain, but indirectly, on how people acted. Sigmund Freud, for example, developed a very elaborate theory of brain functions from the behaviors he observed. After Freud”s ideas were published in the early 1900s, many others advanced their own pro- or anti-Freudian theories. Theories on the mind got so confused that mid-20th-century psychologist B. F. Skinner declared all these theories a waste of time. He called the brain the “black box” and claimed that behavior, not the mind, should be a scientist”s focus because we could measure behavior directly. At the time, Skinner, the “father of behaviorism,” may have been right, but in the 1970s scientists invented machines including CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, and SPECT scans, that allowed researchers to peer inside the brain without harming it or its owner. In the past forty years these machines have greatly improved and now provide high-resolution images, pulling back the curtain in front of the brain and enabling physicians to diagnose brain problems and dramatically improve treatment. We”ve also gained a wealth of information about the development and function of normal brains. The new information about children and youth brain development is especially exciting. My book Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen is entirely about how the teenage brain works. My previous book, No. Why Kids–of All Ages–Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, pays special attention to the critical importance of self-discipline–how children learn to balance and manage the brain”s hardwired drive to seek pleasure. The book you are now reading expands my inquiries into children”s behavior to cover a wider range of brain-related topics. We learn new brain secrets every day, and in the process even correct some mistaken beliefs. As recently as the mid-1990s, for example, students of the brain were taught that the only brain cells we will ever possess are the ones we are born with, that we never grow any more. Today, we know that isn”t true. The 1998 discovery of adult neurogenesis, the birth of new brain cells later in life, overturned that long-held theory. Brain Science Saves the Life of a Teenager Our friends Austin and Pam, parents of fourteen-year-old Jacob, benefited from this new brain information. The surprise neuroscience lesson happened one night while we visited over coffee and dessert. “How are the kids?” I asked, as my wife, Monica, and I sat talking with them. “Jenny is fine but Jacob”s driving us nuts,” Austin replied. “It”s almost like he”s had a personality transplant. He”s become more and more sullen, withdrawn, and grumpy. Our trip to Des Moines last week for my nephew”s wedding was miserable. All Jacob wanted to do all weekend was to listen to his iPod. He was downright rude to half the relatives.” “Last night,” added Pam, “I asked him to take the garbage out after dinner. You”d think I asked him to clean the entire house. Jacob rolled his eyes, sighed out loud, and mumbled about doing everything around the house. I bit my tongue because I didn”t want to say something I would regret. He acts so annoyed whenever we ask him to do anything.” Having survived three teenagers ourselves we had a pretty good idea of what was going on with Jacob. “Welcome to adolescence,” I tried, to lighten the mood a bit. “Your kids were never like that,” Pam said as she looked at Monica. “That”s just because you didn”t see them at home,” Monica replied. “Teenagers can be a little surly with adults, but they usually reserve the vintage collection for their own parents. I still remember all three kids” predictable response when I asked for help: ”Why do I have to do it?”” “Parenting teens can be really difficult,” I chimed in. “It helps to try not to take it personally. Realize that right now his feelings probably confuse him as much as you. The issue is not really you,” I said. “It”s what”s going on in Jacob”s brain.” “You mean hormones?” asked Pam. “Hormones are only part of the picture,” I explained. “There”s a lot more going on in the teen brain than hormones. Brain science now tells us that adolescent brains are works in progress, a series of major construction zones. The changes going on inside their brains explain a lot of the moodiness, impulsivity, risk taking, and anger.” Our neighbors” response echoed that of many parents when they discover what brain science has learned about the teen brain. As Pam joked that night, “This little brain lesson might have saved the life of a fourteen-year-old. I was beginning to weigh a prison sentence against putting up with Jacob”s surliness. So do we just put up with him until his brain finishes growing?” “Well, yes and no,” I responded. “Knowing what”s going on in Jacob”s brain can help us not take everything personally. On the other hand, we can”t become doormats for disrespect. Cutting teenagers some slack doesn”t mean a Details ISBN 1439121192 Author David Walsh Short Title SMART PARENTING SMARTER KIDS Language English ISBN-10 1439121192 ISBN-13 9781439121191 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 649.1 Year 2012 Publication Date 2012-03-20 Subtitle The One Brain Book You Need to Help Your Child Grow Brighter, Healthier, and Happier Pages 304 Audience General Publisher Atria Books Imprint Atria Books We’ve got this At The Nile, if you’re looking for it, we’ve got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items – you’re bound to find what you want, at a price you’ll love! TheNile_Item_ID:47664249;