The Toddler’s Brain!

A wonderfully accomplished woman named Dr. Laura Jana, who is a pediatrician, educator, author, health communicator, and was even once a sidekick of the famous Dr. Spock, has written a book called, The Toddler’s Brain. This is a book that I think all parents should read. One might initially think that Dr. Jana’s book is a throw-back to the old days. One might believe that her book is better suited for our grandparents’ generation rather than the fast-paced multi-streaming world that we live in now.

I’m sure we all agree that the world has changed a lot since our grandparents’ generation. And because it has changed so much, somethings have been lost in the shuffle. However, Dr. Jana shares in her book that the world is moving very fast. And thus, we might have unknowingly neglected some crucial things in the name of what we are calling ‘progress’.

Some of the things that have slowly slipped away in our fast-paced world are things like; relationship building, the ability to read others, working with people that are different than us, and effective communication. Hey, whatever happened to face-to-face communication? Where has face-to-face communication gone? Could that be one of those things from the past?

Some people call these skills soft skills and don’t think they are as important as the hard skills of data crunching. However, when one is deficient in soft skills, things can go bad quickly. One only has to watch the nightly news to see what I’m talking about. Soft skills are more critical than ever. But, it’s going to take some effort for us to teach them, and for our kids to learn them.

Now, as my Granddaddy always said, “Go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us.” Remember, according to Dr. Jana, the skills our grandparents knew, way before the Internet existed, were good skills and are still valuable today. However, learning them takes effort. Hopefully, you’re intrinsically motivated to learn them. And once again parents, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…

Daniel Blanchard is a New Britain Schoolteacher, bestselling and award-winning author, speaker, educator, and TV Host. Learn more about Dan at: www.GranddaddysSecrets.com