We all know that children need good food and healthy exercise for their bodies to grow strong. But
recent research shows that brains need more than this to grow strong. Human beings need loving relationships for healthy brain development.
The parent/ carer needs to be there to Respond to the upset child. As they do this, the two brains, child and adult, connect together. Then being close together – Cuddle – links them together so that the child’s stress at being hurt passes to the parent. Adults can calm themselves, babies can’t. When the parent can Relax while connected with the child, the child also calms down. Then the adult shows through non-verbal communication – Play – how the adult is feeling, and this helps the child to feel better. And finally, the adult uses words – Talk – to help the child to make sense of feeling better.