Healthy Bite 016 - Make Parenthood Easier

Parenthood IS WONDERFUL but can be challenging to say the least and although no license is required to become a parent, there are certainly hundreds of books trying to help guide us through this maze. Today, I have a special guest, Suzanne Hastie (licensed professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist) who is going to give us a couple of simple clues that your child shows you by HOW THEY MOVE that will give you better understanding of what they are communicating and how to deepen your connection with them from as early as birth! Understanding Movement to Deepen Connection Welcome! I am so excited to have you here! Before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? Thanks, Christina, I have been practicing as a therapist with children and families for 27 years. I have special expertise in nonverbal communication and developmental movement that can really help parents understand their children better as well as themselves. I studied with Dr. Judith Kestenberg, a noted psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, & researcher who spent her entire life studying the movement of parents’ and children and its’ meaning. Her work informs what I do now. Why is it important for parents to learn how to read their child’s movements? Well, so much of communication is nonverbal—becoming more conscious of it helps parents form better attachments with their children and vice versa. Better attachments help children feel accepted, understood and more secure; they also help children to better accept limits from their parents’ and to develop emotional intelligence. Can you give us a couple of examples of what movements parents can look for – maybe one for an infant and one for an older child and what those movements may indicate? Certainly--in the first year of life, there are two main rhythms—both begin in the mouth—the first is sucking—we see it during breastfeeding, taking a bottle, when babies bring fingers & other objects to their mouth, this rhythm helps the baby take in nourishment, self-sooth, and attach. The second rhythm is snapping/biting; this rhythm helps the baby literally bite down (to relieve gum pain from teeth coming) and become aware of being separate from their parents. For older children between 4 and 6 years, jumping and spurting/ramming rhythms are in full force. Children this age jump everywhere, interrupt, intrude, show off. They’re super excited; they love superheroes. As their jumping & intruding becomes more developed, they can start acting aggressive and even enjoy ramming into their parents’ or others—which can be challenging. A helpful hint for parents of children who are 4-6 is to give them outlets for their high energy. Give them opportunities to show off, be a superhero or shoot baskets. Let them intrude into the world, but to do it in ways that are safe. And finally, is there any advice for parents of children over 6 or is it really something you need to start to learn when they are young? Well thank you so much Suzanne, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg of what you have to offer. For more information or to sign up for one of Suzanne’s amazing workshops we are starting a new series of Workshops in September called “Connect and Create”. It will be held Tuesdays from 11:30am-12:30pm at the Twin Ponds Integrative Center in Breinigsville. For a list of dates, times, and location… visit my website, www.supersimplehealthy.com and click on “Schedule Now”. Or you can email Suzanne directly at: [email protected]