The Key to Raising an Intelligent and Socially Adept Human: Part 1

This post is particularly for parents of children ages zero to eight because most of the studies referenced are based on this age group. So….new moms, that baby in your arms isn’t “just a baby”. That baby is the future and what you do with that baby today will impact him/her in adulthood. If your child has a developmental delay or was diagnosed with a developmental disorder, this topic is still relevant to you. You can also raise an intelligent and socially adept human. I believe you will find the suggested readings at the end of this post very useful.

As I study the baby’s brain, early childhood development, and the power of nurturing and responsive parenting; I am left in awe of God and the power He has freely given to us. I also can’t help but say moms of infants and toddlers are some of the most powerful people on earth. Daddies, you are also powerful.

The Key to Raising an Intelligent and Socially Adept Human

I will begin with this quote:

“Your loving smiles, sounds, and tender movements not only teach your baby to look, listen, and love; they also enable connections to form between neurons in the parts of the brain that support intelligence and social skills.” – Stanley Greenspan (Building Healthy Minds, 1999)

Building a relationship with your child is the key to raising an intelligent and socially adept human.

It is that simple. This is simply because nurturing and responsive relationships stimulate brain growth and help form neural connections needed for emotional and intellectual growth

Building a relationship with your child means getting to know your child. It starts with observing what your child likes and doesn’t like. Playing with your child. It involves responding to your child when he/she smiles, cries, and reaches out for you. You can never spoil a child by being too kind, nurturing and responsive. We are our children’s first role models and we have the ability to influence their mental capacity and shape their world view.

Due to the fact I am not a fan of extremely long posts, I wrote another post suggesting Ways to Build a Relationship With Your Child. Please check it out after reading this post.

As usual, there is always a spiritual revelation and lesson derived from everything I learn about children. So, here we go…. The key to success in life is building a relationship with God. This relationship is built by interacting with God through prayer, worship, studying God’s word, fellowship with other believers, and living in obedience as God continues to reveal what he wants us to do in our walk with him. It is possible to go about doing things for God without a relationship with him. For there are people who are used by God but their hearts are far from God (Matthew 15: 8, Matthew 7:22-23). It is also possible to get some things from God without a relationship with him. For there are people who seek his hands, not his heart. They get what they want. God is faithful and merciful, he is working on each one of us like a potter. God wants us to come to a place of intimacy with him. To know the heavenly father and To be known by him is the greatest success of all.

References and Suggested Readings

Fraiberg, S. H. (1977) Every child’s birthright. New York: Basic Books.

Greenspan, S. (1999). Building healthy minds: The six experiences that create intelligence and emotional growth in babies and young children. New York, NY: DaCapo Press.