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3 February 2003, Bangor, Maine.
Last week I saw a 2 months baby girl with her mother and sibling at my office for routine check up and immunizations. The sibling is a 2 year old girl who can talk in 4 to 5 word sentences. This is a very advanced language development. Many three year old children can’t talk the way she does. Because of the advanced language development of the two year old girl, I asked more about her developmental history. Her mother said that all of their relatives are surprised how advanced she is.
I was able to examine the 2 year old girl without objection or crying. Looking at her ear with the otoscope was easy and she did not even offered a resistance when I examined her belly. Most 2 year old children who are not advanced in language and cognitive development are not cooperative with the routine physical examination.
After my examination of both children, I gave my prediction of how her two year old will perform in the school. I told the mother that her daughter will be in the top three of her class in elementary school as well as in high school. Then I gave her some advice on how to make both of her children do well in their educational pursuit.
The first principle is to talk and read to both of her children as often as possible. When reading and talking to them, she should be very animated, enthusiastic, and full of fun. Interacting with her children through reading and fun play is one of the best way of stimulating her children’s brain development. I emphasize that everything they should do should have a component of fun, joy, and lot of smiling and grinning.
Yes, the hundreds of fun, joy, grin, smiling, and laughing between the mother and child is the best ingredient to advanced language, cognitive, and quantitative development. Not only that happy interactions result in smarter children, it also reduce the risk of behavioral problems and depression in children and in the future. These hourly and daily happy dialogues and plays between the mother and child promote and cement strong attachment.
Attachment with a mother or one primary caregiver is the foundation to a brilliant emotional development which is the cornerstone of high intelligence, creativity, and success in school. The way we think, learn, and make decision is primarily guided by our emotional foundation which we copied mostly from our parents.
The seeds of attachment begin from the very first hour after birth. The first “look” between a newborn and the mother is a significant event. This is the great beginning of attachment.
When visit a mother who just delivered a newborn I discuss only of two topics which I call my “BB” talk, Breast feeding and Brain development. The first question I ask the mother is whether she will breast feed or bottle feed. I encourage her to breast feed, and if she will bottle feed I recommend the new formula Enfamil Lipil which has the polyunsaturated fatty acid that can aid in brain and visual development. I spend only a couple of minutes discussing feeding issues. I go straight to mental nutrition for better brain development by giving the parents a copy of my “Ten Commandments For Parents to Have a Smart Baby.”
I focus on the seventh and eight commandments. The seventh commandment is: “Thou shall not watch Television, VCR, or computer until she is 6 years old” and the eight: “Thou shall not shout, fight, or be angry when baby is around her seeing or hearing distance.”
These two commandments are easily neglected by many parents because they are difficult to follow. Television is ubiquitous in American homes. It is so easy for babies as young as 6 months to watch TV. It is a brain buster for babies, and even for many teens, because it reduces interaction time with a loving adult. For a brain to learn effectively and make smart decision, the emotional brain center should be well developed. Watching TV, computer, or Nintendo reduces proper connection between the executive brain center or the prefrontal area and the emotional brain the amygdala. These two brain centers are very much involved in attachment with the mother or primary care giver.
The last “commandment” in my list is: “Thou shall maintain a stable and intact family.” I cautioned the mother that this is difficult to follow since the divorce rate is close to 50% now. But if they can avoid marital discord until the children are 18 years old, that is the best gift for their children.
Leo Leonidas, MD, FAAP, Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston; Attending Pediatrician, Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, Maine
Please send my your suggestions and comments to improve this site:
lleonidas@pcpediatrics.org
I wrote and desinged this website for parents of our practice. Before you use ideas from this website, please discuss it first with your clinician if you are not with our practice.
copyright Leo Leonidas 2002
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