Parenting with Both Sides of the Brain: Where Science Meets Intuition

The philosophy I embraced as a mother was grounded in a deep trust:  that there is an Innate Intelligence with the body, and that the power that makes the body heals the body.  These principles became anchors for me. They are reminders that wounds would heal, fevers would break, and that the body was always working toward balance and health.

Even with this understanding, I still found myself seeking assurance that my child was developing as they should. I wanted to fill my educated mind with knowledge—about the brain, the nervous system, and the beautifully orchestrated, pre-programmed feedback loops that guide early development.

Learning about these systems didn’t take me away from my intuition, but it gave me the confidence to lean into it.

There are two sides of the brain, and I believe parenting is best approached when both are engaged: the analytical and the intuitive, the scientific and the soulful. When we understand how the body and brain work, we can quiet the noise of doubt and truly listen:  to our children, and to ourselves.

There is no greater responsibility than raising a child. As mothers, we share our very bodies with them; we help build their cells, their senses, their safety. Of course we want to give them the best nutrition, the right movement, meaningful stimulation, and nurturing environments. That takes study. That takes awareness.

But then we must also surrender to the process, trust its unfolding, and allow our intuition to guide us moment by moment.

Because parenting is not just an act of doing, it is an act of being. And when we can bring together what we know with what we feel, we parent from a place of true wisdom.