Co-Regulation: Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer

One of the most challenging jobs as a parent is to co-regulate our children, whose frontal lobe is not developed to do this on their own. Often, we find ourselves escalating with our kiddos, as our own nervous systems have been maxed out from all the demands placed on it throughout the day. Learning to nourish your own nervous system is essential in parenting, and it does not have to be all or nothing. Micro moments like breathing in fresh air, catching up with old friend, listening to our favorite music, reading a chapter in a juicy book, and more can really change our brain chemisty to enhance our emotional resiliency and be the thermostat our children need so we can respond versus react.