Second Nature: How Parents Can Use Neuroscience to Help Kids Develop Empathy, Creativity, and Self-Control

Use neuroscience to raise an awesome person - starting now

Searching for a roadmap to raise a successful child who makes a positive difference in this world? Neuroscientist and mother Erin Clabough teaches that to thrive as adults, children need to learn self-regulation, a master life skill founded in empathy, creativity, and self-control. The lack of even one of these intertwined skills underlies nearly all of the parenting problems we face. 

The good news is that you can build these strengths in children at any age, from infancy to adulthood. Here, using key insights from brain development research, you'll learn how. 

With scientific depth and in clear language, Erin gets you up to date on the vast tide of emerging neuroscience discoveries and how they can help you parent better. 

Practicing these skills requires a new mindset, but "second nature" parenting is low effort and high impact. It only takes a few minutes each day to nurture the skills your kids need, simply by using everyday situations that you're already facing in a different way. 

Erin Clabough is a mother of four who holds a PhD in neuroscience. Her parenting style has been highly influenced by her background in brain development research and she translates those concepts into easy parenting ideas that can make an immediate impact. As a biology and psychology professor, she investigates questions about how the brain functions in her research lab, including synaptic plasticity, developmental work on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and lifespan topics such as neurodegenerative disease. She is also interested in providing concrete ways to increase empathy in our homes and classrooms, while incorporating brain awareness. Erin received her PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia in 2006, specializing in the molecular genetics of neurodegeneration. She subsequently held a three year postdoctoral research position at the University of Virginia. She is currently an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Her scientific research has resulted in many peer reviewed journal articles. She writes for Psychology Today, mindbodygreen, TODAY Parenting, and other publications.