Child Attachment Expert: Hidden Dangers Of Daycare, It Might Be Causing Future Issues For Your Kid! Birth Rates Are Plummeting & Its Terrifying! Dr Erica Komisar

Komisar addresses the profound impact of parental presence on the development and mental health of children, emphasizing the critical stages of brain development and the need for secure attachment.

Crucial for Brain Development: Parental Presence in Ages 0-3 and 9-25

Children Need Consistent, Sensitive, Empathetic Care From Their Primary Attachment Figure(s) to Learn Emotional Regulation and Build Resilience

Komisar discusses the importance of parents being physically and emotionally present for their children during the critical periods of brain development, which are from birth to three years and adolescence (9 to 25 years old). She suggests that attachment security is the foundation for future mental health, as children require consistent, sensitive, empathetic care from their primary attachment figures to develop emotional regulation skills and resilience. Komisar observed that children whose mothers, often their primary attachment figures, were the least present in their lives were doing the least well.

Early Attachment Insecurity Increases Risk of Mental Illness, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and Behavior Problems

Komisar describes an attachment study with rhesus monkeys that demonstrated the significance of nurturing by primary attachment figures for secure attachment and emotional health. She explains that a healthy attachment is shown when a child feels safe and secure with their primary attachment figure, who needs to have prioritized their presence with the child. Furthermore, the amygdala, which regulates stress, should remain offline for the first one to three years, with mothers keeping babies close to their bodies to keep the amygdala quiet and manage stress.

Prioritizing Children's Needs Over Careers For Development

Children "Break Down" if Parents Don't Focus During Critical Brain Development

The importance of empathetic parenting is stressed by Komisar, who advises against simply saying "no" without empathy and instead recommends acknowledging a child's feelings before enforcing rules. She emphasizes that parental presence, especially during the ages of zero to three, is significant for the growth of cells in the child's right brain and for neurogenesis. Komisar expresses concern that society often prioritizes work and personal desires over the uniqueness of a child, which can lead to breakdowns and mental health issues.

Providing Children With Secure Attachment and Timely ...

Erica Komisar and others discuss the disparities between maternal and paternal roles, their biological roots, and the importance of both parents in a child’s development.

Mothers Are Crucial In Nurturing and Emotion Regulation For Ages 0-3

[restricted term] Drives Mothers To Soothe Children, Building Emotional Regulation Skills

Komisar underscores the importance of a mother's role in the first three years of a child's life for emotional security, critical for brain development and to prevent aggression, behavioral problems, and attachment disorders. Mothers, through their production of [restricted term], provide sensitive empathic nurturing that soothes babies, thereby helping to regulate emotions such as sadness, fear, and distress. This nurturing behavior raises [restricted term] levels in the baby's brain, which protects against cortisol, the stress hormone. After being consistently soothed by their mothers, by three years of age, babies can start to internalize the ability to regulate their own emotions.

Fathers' Playful Roles Help Children Manage Excitement and Aggression

While mothers produce [restricted term] that fosters nurturing behavior, fathers also produce [restricted term], but it affects their brains differently, leading them to be playful and tactile stimulators. Fathers encourage exploration, risk-taking, and separation. They are critical in helping children, particularly boys, manage excitement and aggression, and become important as children become mobile and start leaning toward healthy separation around 18 months to 2 years old.

One Parent Missing: Child Lacks Crucial Development Component

Fatherless Children Often Struggle With Behavior and Aggression Issues

Children who grow up without fathers often have difficulties, such as boys struggling with regulation of aggression, being more impulsive and aggressive. Komisar notes that children require both a mother and a father figure; one cannot simply replace the other. In absence of a father, girls may miss forming a critical romantic relationship that can subsequently affect their search for admiration and love that a father typically provides. "Daddy issues," a term mentioned by Bartlett, underscores cultural understanding of the problems that arise when the father is absent.

Biologically-Driven Differences in Maternal and Pa ...

Erica Komisar speaks at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship about societal changes that are influencing parenting practices and affecting child outcomes.

Shift To Individualism, Materialism, and Working Women Reduce Parental Presence for Young Children

Komisar emphasizes a societal shift towards individualism and materialism, where career priorities lead parents to be less available for their young children. Despite the positive impacts of movements such as the 'Me Movement' and feminism on society, Komisar suggests that they have also contributed to prioritizing careers over parenting, thereby leading to a form of child abandonment. She touches on issues faced by new parents, particularly mothers, who may have planned to be primary breadwinners but find themselves wanting to quit their jobs to be with their babies.

"'Me Movement' of 1960s and Feminism: Positive Impact but Prioritized Careers Led To Child Abandonment"

Komisar criticizes aspects of modern feminism by suggesting a vengeful streak that seeks to diminish men. She notes the swift change in gender roles that has led to mental health issues in men due to the inversion of traditional roles. The societal shift that permitted women to work and men to stay at home with children has occurred rapidly, potentially contributing to a rise in child mental health issues due to reduced parental presence.

Shift Coincides With Rise in Child Mental Health Issues

Komisar notes the increase in mental illness in children and connects this to a societal trend away from prioritizing a child's emotional needs and the presence of parents. She intimates that modern environments, such as individualism, materialism, and the focus on careers, may be factors in the rising ADHD and behavioral issues among children. Bartlett references a study on the association between children's trauma scores (ACE scores) and ADHD, suggesting societal stressors may be linked to the development of ADHD.

Parental Isolation and Lack of Support Exacerbate Child-Rearing Challenges

The social trend of people moving away from extended family networks means parents, especially single mothers, are increasingly isolated, compounding the challenges of child-rearing. This isolation burdens parents with sole emotional and caregiving support, which can be overwhelming for single caregivers.

Parents Lack Extended Family Networks For Childcare

Komisar reflects on the "family diaspora" whe ...