Have you ever watched your child throw a tantrum in the grocery store, stubbornly refuse to put on his shoes before leaving the house, or cry over something that makes no sense at all? Have you ever thought, “I think he’s just trying to make my life difficult”?

The truth is, he’s not. (Well, maybe sometimes, but not usually.) It’s just their adolescent brain taking over. The Whole-Brain Child dives into the neuroscience of a child’s brain – how it is wired, how it matures, and what you can do to foster growth in your child. But this isn’t a boring neuroscience textbook. Using understandable terms and analogies, any parent or professional who works with kids will immediately connect their experiences with children with the science of the child’s brain.

Here’s an example: we have heard about right and left brain. Right brain – emotions, left brain – logic. In young kids, the right brain tends to win out over the left brain (no surprise there!) But have you heard of the upstairs brain and the downstairs brain? We’ll be talking more about this in a separate post soon, but here are the basics. The upstairs brain, which makes decisions and balances emotions, is still “under construction” until the mid-twenties. (Parents of teenagers are nodding in agreement). But the good news is that parents, teachers, therapists, caregivers, and all adults in relationship with children can apply what this book teaches to help “integrate” the child’s brain.