Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/emotional-attachment-and-healthy-development/5015780/
How do we build healthy attachment relationships that supports our children’s development? In the book Parenting From the Inside Out that I co-authored with child psychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel,we look at both research in child development and brain science to understand this, as well as other issues directly relevant to parents and those working with children.
How we communicate with children has a profound impact on how they develop. Young children are very sensitive to the significant adults in their lives and build their self-understanding upon the interactions they have with their parents, teachers, and caregivers. When these primary and secondary attachment figures have a deeper self-understanding they can offer a foundation of emotional well-being and security that enables children to thrive.
Research in the field of child development has demonstrated that a child’s security of attachment to parents is very strongly connected to the parents’ understanding of their own early-life experiences. It is not just what happens to the parents in their early life but also how they have come to make sense of those experiences that influence their interactions with their own children. Working with children is an opportunity for us to grow as individuals. Personal ...