CONCLUSION

Bringing it All Together

We all have hopes and dreams for our children. For most of us,
they involve wanting our kids to be happy, healthy, and fully
themselves. Our message throughout this book has been that you
can help create this reality for your kids by paying attention during
the everyday, ordinary experiences you share with them. That
means you can use the obvious teachable moments, but also the
diɽcult challenges and even the humdrum “nothing’s really going
on” times, as opportunities to prepare your children to be happy
and successful, to enjoy good relationships, and to feel content
with who they are. In short, to be whole-brain children.
One of the main beneɹts of the whole-brain perspective, as
we’ve discussed, is that it empowers you to transform the daily
parenting challenges that can interrupt the fun and connection you
have with your children. Whole-brain parenting allows you to go
far beyond mere survival. This approach promotes connection and
a deeper understanding between you and your children. An
awareness of integration gives you the competence and conɹdence
to handle things in ways that make you closer to your kids, so you
can know their minds, and therefore help shape their minds in
positive and healthy ways. As a result, not only will your children
thrive, but your relationship with them will flourish as well.
So whole-brain parenting isn’t just about who your adorable—
and at times no doubt exasperating—child is right now, but also
about who she will become in the future. It’s about integrating her
brain, nurturing her mind, and giving her skills that will beneɹt her
as she grows into adolescence and adulthood. By encouraging