A Simple, Not Easy, Prescription

Recently, a nearly full house had the chance to hear some great and practical parenting advice from Dr. Shimi Kang. An award-winning Harvard-trained doctor, researcher, media expert, and lecturer, Dr. Kang is also the author of The Dolphin Way and the parent of three busy children. She began her talk with an overview of the science of the developing brain and how parents and educators can support children as they grow into adults who are fully ready for everything our changing world has to offer. Dr. Kang went on to describe different parenting styles and how they can help or hinder the development of self-motivation in children. For her, the ideal parenting model is the intelligent, strong, joyful and highly social dolphin. Dolphin parents are collaborative. They have rules and expectations, but they also allow for autonomy and choice. They are strong but flexible and are able to couple firm parenting with a balanced lifestyle. Dr. Kang identified three key ingredients for her daily prescription of POD:

• P = Play and exploration
• O = Others, including a sense of community and contribution
• D = Downtime, including the basics of regular sleep, exercise and rest

Sounds simple, but Dr. Kang was quick to point out that simple does not mean easy. Using anecdotes from her personal life as a parent of three children, she shared some of her own past struggles and successes in her journey to find a balanced life for her family. The buzz in the audience that night was very positive, and some attendees suggested we bring Dr. Kang back in the future to dig deeper into some of the areas she discussed. To that end, it would be great if you could take a moment to complete this quick survey so that we can continue to provide parent education opportunities that meet the needs of our community. A huge thank you must be extended to the Parents’ Auxiliary for bringing Dr. Kang to GNS. We are delighted that so many were able to take part and, hopefully, benefit from this event. For those who were unable to attend, a short, interesting sample of her presentation can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EHZAQmw2JA