The Whole-Brain Child

We got to school and we hugged and said goodbye. You started to
paint at the activity table and I waved bye to you. And then what
happened after I left?”
Katie responded that she got sick. Thomas continued, “Right. And
I know that didn’t feel good, did it? But then Ms. LaRussa took
really good care of you and knew you needed Daddy, so she called
me and I came right away. Aren’t you lucky to have a teacher that
took care of you until Daddy could come? And then what
happened? I took care of you and you felt better.” Thomas then
emphasized that he came right away and that everything was OK,
and he assured Katie that he would always be there anytime she
needed him.
By putting these narrative details in order like this, Thomas
allowed his daughter to begin to make sense of what she was
experiencing with her emotions and in her body. He then began to
help her create some new associations that school is safe and fun,
reminding her of various aspects of her school that she loved. They
wrote and illustrated a book together that told the story and
featured her favorite places in her classroom. As kids often will,
Katie wanted to read her homemade book over and over.
Before long, she regained her love of school, and the experience
didn’t have such power over her anymore. In fact, she learned that
she could overcome fear with the support of the people who love
her. As Katie grows, her father will continue to help her make
sense of her experiences; this storytelling process will become a
natural way for her to deal with diɽcult situations, giving her a
powerful tool for dealing with adversity into adulthood and
throughout her life.
Even children much younger than Katie—as young as ten to
twelve months—respond well to telling stories. For example,
imagine a toddler who’s fallen down and skinned her knee. Her
right brain, which is completely in the present moment and in