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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #131, January/February, 2004. Related articles from this issue: |
Build a Better Brain by Dr. Ken Canfield |
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Psychiatrist and brain research pioneer Daniel Amen, M.D., challenges fathers to consider how they can contribute to their children’s brain development. He believes that dads have a prominent influence on their children’s prefrontal cortex (PFC) development, and that a child who is deprived of healthy emotional connections with his father will have hampered PFC. The PFC plays a prominent role in character and moral development since it heavily influences thoughtfulness and impulse control. In Amen’s words, “The PFC translates feelings from the deep limbic system, or the emotional brain. Good PFC function makes for tempered reactions and thoughtful judgments, allowing the use of tact and fore-thought in heated moments.” He points to research showing that teen-agers who feel a loving and healthy emotional connection to their father had a significantly lower incidence of teenage pregnancy, drug use, violence and suicide. Amen asserts that firm fathering is as important as bonding when it comes to character development. “The brain learns best in an environment of love, support and clear directions. Parents who raise the healthiest children are those who are firm and kind.... Parents need to set clear guidelines of acceptable behavior and reinforce those guidelines through positive reinforcement and consequences.” Amen also emphasizes the importance of good nutrition: “The American diet is filled with refined carbohydrates, which has a negative impact on dopamine levels in the brain and concentration. With both parents working outside of the home, there is less time to prepare healthy meals, and fast foods have become more the norm.” Amen suggests a high-protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet, which can stabilize blood sugar levels and help with both energy and concentration. This is particularly important for boys, who are often identified early in life with Type 1 ADD, where hyperactivity, restlessness and impulsivity take a toll. Our children look to us for their values, habits and lifestyle decisions, and what they learn is caught more than taught. Our modeling of healthy habits may be the most important thing we can do to raise fit, intelligent, compassionate and thoughtful children. Dr. Canfield is founder and director of National Center for Fathering, Kansas City, MO, USA. This article and many others like it may be found at www.fathers.com. This article copyright 2002 by NCF and used by permisson. |
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