Many childhood behaviours labelled as difficult, oppositional or defiant may make far more sense than we realise. This article and podcast episode explore a biological perspective on defiance, screens, difficult behaviour and why modern parenting has become so exhausting. We explore why children adapt when something important is missing from their experience, and how shifting our attention from behaviour to environment can transform how we understand children.
Read the article here:
https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/from-behaviour-to-signal-a-different-way-to-understand-children/
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Listen to more:
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:
• The science of play: How shared activities transform family dynamics, with Professor Sam Wass - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-science-of-play-how-shared-activities-transform-family-dynamics/
• Active vs passive screen time, with Musa Roshdy - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/active-vs-passive-screen-time/
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Episode break down:
00:00 – Introducing the episode and Geoff Owen
02:26 – What does it mean to view behaviour as a signal?
05:18 – The fish-in-the-river analogy: looking at the environment
09:32 – Children's biological expectations and the 'ancient blueprint'
11:45 – How adults broadcast their emotional state
15:13 – Children on the periphery of everyday life
19:35 – Seeing children as capable, competent, valued and trusted
21:55 – How Geoff's own childhood shaped his thinking
22:50 – The Continuum Concept and adversarial approaches to parenting
24:57 – Independence, maturity and modern parenting
27:20 – Conditioning, reframing behaviour and parental self-blame
29:24 – Proximity, carrying and children's expectations
31:28 – Adaptive behaviour: what are children adapting to?
37:51 – Regulation, co-regulation and how children experience adult responses
39:29 – Adult self-awareness and the influence of our own childhood experiences
45:55 – How children communicate before spoken language
46:38 – Parenting as a 'side activity' and including children in everyday life
48:50 – Containment, boundaries, punishment and rewards
50:18 – Practical takeaways for parents and educators
52:00 – Stepping back from adult-led conversations
53:37 – Balancing language support with silence, space and child-led conversation
55:04 – Closing reflections
56:00 – Where to find Jeff's article
For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com
