Raising kids is no easy feat, but what if there was a better way that set up both you and your child for success? 

This week Dr. G dives into common parenting styles, how childhood trauma plays a role in parenting, and which, if any theory you should be paying attention to raise an emotionally balanced child. 

Parenting theories discussed in this episode:

Attachment Theory: Focuses on infant-caregiver bonding shaping development

Behaviorism: Uses rewards and consequences to encourage/discourage behaviors

Cognitive Development Theory: Kids construct mental models of the world through experiences. 

Social Learning Theory: Kids observe and imitate attitudes and behaviors

Ecological Systems Theory: Child development is influenced by broader social and environmental factors. 

Authoritative Parenting: High responsiveness with clear boundaries and expectations from parents.

Montessori Method: Child-led learning by encouraging independence and respect for a child's natural psychological development.

Gentle Parenting:  Parents lead with empathy, respect, understanding, and boundary setting.

As Dr. G describes, daily accumulated stressors like lack of emotional attunement, warmth and autonomy-support early on can have significant impacts. However, by using a more Supportive Parenting style, you will see a numerous benefits in your children and even yourself including:

• Increased nervous system resilience in children
• Larger hippocampus: Improves memory and learning
• Smaller amygdala: Reduces anxiety and fear conditioning
• Higher vagal tone: Ability to recover from stressors
• More balanced limbic system: Healthy emotional regulation
• Breaking of generational trauma patterns
• Opportunities to heal our own nervous systems
• Ability to parent from an authentic, compassionate heart-space
• Heightened self-awareness around our ingrained habits

Tune into this episode to upgrade your parenting approach and family dynamic. Walk away with insights on how gentle parenting benefits kids in the short and long-term when it comes to behavior, mental health, relationships and beyond. It's time to challenge assumptions and lead with an open heart.

Reference: Noll LK, Clark CAC, Skowron EA. Multigenerational links between mothers’ experiences of autonomy in childhood and preschoolers’ respiratory sinus arrhythmia: Variations by maltreatment status. Dev Psychopathol. 2015;27(4pt2):1443-1460.

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Hosted by Doctor Christian Gonzalez N.D.

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