We now know that the way to help a child develop optimally is to help create connections in her brainโher whole brainโthat develop skills that lead to better relationships, better mental health, and more meaningful lives. You could call it brain sculpting, or brain nourishing, or brain building. Whatever phrase you prefer, the point is crucial, and thrilling: as a result of the words we use and the actions we take, childrenโs brains will actually change, and be built, as they undergo new experiences.
Daniel J. SiegelFrom early infancy, it appears that our ability to regulate emotional states depends upon the experience of feeling that a significant person in our life is simultaneously experiencing a similar state of mind.
Daniel J. SiegelToo often we forget that discipline really means to teach, not to punish. A disciple is a student, not a recipient of behavioural consequences.
Daniel J. SiegelGrief allows you to let go of something you have lost only when you begin to accept what you now have in its place. As our mind clings to the familiar, to our established expectations, we can become trapped in feelings of disappointment, confusion, anger, that create our own internal worlds of suffering.
Daniel J. Siegel