Upstairs and Downstairs Brain

Your Child's Upstairs and Downstairs Brain*

 












OK, so you have a handle on how the brain is organized right and left.  But the brain is also organized vertically, or down to up. 

Downstairs Brain
Your "downstairs brain" takes care of a lot of important functions.  Breathing.  Heart beating. Blinking. These happen in the brain stem.  Vitally important!  

Moving up the latter, you have the part of the brain that reacts with the well known "fight or flight" response.  When you feel threatened you react without thinking.  This part is called the amygdala. The amygdala is actually a wonderfully protective part of your brain.  Think about how great it is that you pull your hand away from a fire before you realize it.  Or how helpful it is to jump back from a slithering object before you could call it a snake.  

But also think of Johnny on the playground who punches out the kid who steals his "light saber." 

Think of Sally who runs to her room and slams the door when she hears that she can't have a playdate with Samantha today. 

These emotionally charged reactions come from a part of the brain that DOES NOT STOP TO CONSIDER WHAT IT IS CHOOSING.  

Upstairs Brain
This part of the brain is called the pre-frontal cortex.  The PFC is involved when you reflect on past actions in order to make thoughtful decisions.  When you are able to control your own emotions.  When you can think about what you have done.  When you make choices that involve human characteristics of empathy and morality.   All things you would love your children to be able to do! 

Have you ever seen the commercial where the plane is flying in mid air as its being built?   That's what it's like in your child's PFC!  That's helpful to know as a parent, because all those things we'd love our kids to do-- realize their own mistakes, control their strong emotional reactions, etc... are dependent upon development that is in process. 

OK, so how does knowing about the upstairs and downstairs of your brain help you as a parent? 

*Adapted from Dan Siegel's The Whole Brain Child