@goodenoughpsychiatrist: One thing I often do in my practice is help parents understand how children think, feel, and behave differently at each developmental stage. We cannot and should not expect children to operate like adults. They are not miniature adults. This video shows a 4-year-old in what Piaget called the pre-operational stage (typically ages 3–7). At this stage, children can focus on only one striking feature of a situation at a time. Their decisions are driven by what is most perceptually obvious. In the examples, the child focuses on the length of the quarter row, the height of the water column, or the number of cookies without yet being able to integrate multiple aspects together. This matters for emotional life too. Young children can hold only one feeling at a time. When they feel angry, the anger fills their entire emotional world. They may hit, yell, or push. In that moment, they cannot hold onto the loving connection they have with you. And when they calm down, the loving part returns just as quickly. Many parents wonder why their child is sweet one minute and explosive the next. It’s not manipulative. It’s not intentional. Their brain simply isn’t fully developed yet. Your job in these moments is not to reason with them reasoning requires a part of the brain they cannot access when dysregulated. Your job is to help them settle, feel safe, and return to calm, so their thinking brain can come back online. #MentalHealth #goodenoughpsychiatrist #psychology #therapy #childdevelopment

Goodenoughpsychiatrist

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Sunday 16 November 2025 21:06:55 GMT