Developing Executive Functioning in Babies

As I read Brain Rules for Babies, by John Medina, I kept sighing, wishing such a book had existed when I was a new mother. Here are the clues for developing executive functioning as you parent. This is a parenting book from the perspective of brain development. It’s a book written with refreshing humor, honesty and compassion for the challenges of being a parent and a spouse.

As the book jacket attests, I learned the following:

• Where nature and nurture begins
• Why you don’t need to buy “brain boosting” baby toys
• Why men should do more household chores
• What to say to your child when emotions run high
• The effect of TV on children under 2
• Why praising effort is better than praising intelligence
• One of the best predictors of academic performance is not IQ; it self-control (executive functioning)

While the subtitle is “How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five,” I would recommend reading this book even if your children are grown, and I would definitely give it to any couple just starting their family. It would be a gift to positively change lives.