I stumbled over a profound scientific fact the other day (while doing research for my 3rd book - a reminder my 1st two books are on sale), which has far reaching implications for Christian parenting.
You see, one of the things which distinguishes an adult human brain from an animal brain is that we have a well-developed frontal cortex. I’ll explain what that means in just a moment, keep reading. Another way of saying this is that an animal’s frontal cortex is small in comparison to our own.
But here’s the kicker, so too are the frontal cortexes of children. (Even the adolescent brain, though developing, isn’t developed fully). In other words, the size and function of your child’s frontal cortex is similar to that of an animal. Maybe the cat, but definitely not the budgie. Hm….. where is this going? Stay with me.
What is the frontal cortex and why is it important?
Simplistically put, the frontal cortex is the front part of our brain directly behind our foreheads. In the realm of neuroscience where ‘theories of attention’ abound, consensus has been reached, at least for the moment. Neuroscientists aver that this area of the brain runs the ‘Executive System’, which makes plans and then executes them.
Please don’t fall asleep just yet, we’ll get to the Christian Parenting stuff in a moment.
According to the theories of neuroscience we have a number of systems, interconnected by neurons (nerves) in our brain (the Executive, Habit and Reward Systems being the primary players) which compete for our attention. The victor takes the spoils, we could get blown off course by the Reward System ie fail to do as we intended, or the Executive System could win, so that we do what we planned.
The ‘Executive System’ after assessing the immense amount of environmental inputs which are simultaneously bombarding our senses, (loud sounds, noisy TVs, interesting images darting across your visual field, a spider walking up your arm) accepts what advances our intended action and rejects all other inputs it considers extraneous to its purpose.
Animals and children, both of whom have underdeveloped developed ‘Executive Systems’ respond to stimuli in their environment immediately. The hind runs from the lion at the warning of cawing birds, while a child (seeing there are no lions in the lounge room), responds to the sights and sounds in the room, which means they are very easily distracted from what they intended to do, or you asked them to do.
The autonomous child or the wise frontal cortex
The modern version of parenting espouses ‘wild and free’. Let your children experience the thrills and spills of life. Children should be free to do as they please (within some boundaries of course).
I find it amusing to see parents (with mature Executive Systems) in round table negotiations with their children, as with equals (with immature Executive Systems) doing deals.
At a banal level the consequences are trivial, whether Johnny eats only 5 pieces of carrot in order to gain a reduction on the number of beans from 8 to 4. Or ten minutes on the device in exchange for picking up your dirty clothes. Fortunately for my generation there were no negotiations, you did what you’re asked, or you got a smack (oh no child abuse). Life was simpler.
However, in a world of devices, which we gladly give to our children because they complain ‘I’m bored’, are we setting up our kids to fail?
The use of devices is hyper- stimulating their ‘Reward System’ which responds to novelty and constant change, by the instant release of dopamine (a feel-good neurotransmitter), at the expense of developing their ‘Executive System’ which they could use to focus their attention and achieve their goals.
Don’t give me a Panadol – i just want to change my gender
There’s a tragic irony to the Transgender movement. Proclaiming to promote child-autonomy, the freedom to be any gender a child may choose to be, they nonetheless bind their victims to a life of slavery, and not of freedom.
After suffering the irreversible damage of surgical mutilation and hormone blockers these kids are doomed to live a life of ontological dissonance.
While your local school can’t give your kid a Panadol without a permission note, they allow unfettered access to Transgender and LGBT activists, to indoctrinate our children without our permission.
Our children don’t have a mature ‘Executive System’, they are in no position to make life altering decisions. How can a 5 yr old kid know what’s best for him or her in 20 yrs from now?
This is why God in his wisdom placed the care of children, into the hands of their parents. To protect them from danger and in this case evil. It behoves us as parents and grandparents to guide and guard our children, whose frontal cortexes can’t possibly make future-determining decisions. They need our protection and wisdom through their formulative years, until they too have the wisdom to flee evil and pursue good.