Mona Delahooke, Ph.D.

24/12/2025

This holiday season, remember: You don't need elaborate plans or perfect moments to create joyful memories. The magic is in the simple, cozy connections.

When I ask people about their fondest childhood memories, no one mentions expensive events. They remember snuggling under warm blankets, sharing hot chocolate on cold mornings, baking cookies with messy hands, or lying on the grass watching clouds drift by.

Increase the coziness factor. The real joy lives in the ordinary moments made extraordinary by your presence and love.

23/12/2025

As this year comes to an end, Scott and I want to wish you serenity, health & safety. Thank each and every one of you for your love and support as we navigated a completely new chapter these past two years. We will be forever grateful🙏🏼Happy Holidays!❤️

19/12/2025

Your well-being isn't selfish. It's essential. You are the most important tool in your parenting toolbox.

It’s expected to feel depleted, stressed, or running on empty. If your tone sharpens or patience thins, it’s a message about your body budget. This is biology, not failure. Taking care of yourself isn't taking away from your children. It's making deposits into your own body budget so you can be the calm, regulated presence they need. You matter. Your needs matter. Who is mothering mommy today?

17/12/2025

Self-regulation doesn't come from sticker charts or consequences. It comes from co-regulation, or the attuned, caring relationships we build with children.

We can't expect children to regulate themselves when their brains and bodies are still developing that capacity. They need us to be their calm, their safety, their steady presence through the storm.

Through our tone of voice, our facial expressions, and our gentle presence, we help their nervous systems learn what safety feels like. Over time, this becomes their own ability to self-regulate.

15/12/2025

The holidays can be overwhelming for many children. What looks like excitement might be their nervous system experiencing the disruption of predictability and daily routine.

Busy schedules, disrupted routines, loud gatherings, rich foods, and late nights can be withdrawals from a child's body budget. Even joyful experiences can be stressful due to the unpredictability of the holidays.

If your child seems dysregulated this week, offer them what their nervous system needs: perhaps a few minutes of quiet space, familiar routines, gentle connection, and permission to opt out.

13/12/2025

When we shift from asking "How do I stop this behavior?" to "What is my child's body trying to tell me?" everything changes. Behaviors are messages from a child's nervous system about their experience in the world.
Think of challenging behaviors as the tip of the iceberg. What we see on the surface is a hint of what's happening beneath: the physical sensations, stress responses, and individual differences that shape how our children experience each moment.
This week, try approaching one challenging moment with curiosity instead of correction. What might your child's body be communicating?

17/09/2025

10/09/2025

I've posted shots of the sweet victories I'm so grateful for; made possible by surviving a nearly fatal ruptured brain aneurysm, but the real story is found in the day to day work healing my brain and body from the effects of a serious subarachnoid hemorrhage. This might look easy, but it felt like pulling my leg through concrete.

27/08/2025

Exactly 2 years ago she was told I might not make it through emergency neurosurgery. On Saturday, we celebrated her wedding day. Overwhelming gratitude for life's precious moments. 🙏🏼

15/08/2025

A daughter's love in a surprise makeover 💜 I've spent the past 2 years mostly in sweats & old t shirts (standard rehab garb) without a discernible hairstyle or makeup, until this moment.

24/07/2025

BBP is coming out in Audible in the UK soon! Thanks to Hachette Book Group

22/07/2025

Routine scans today, back at the hospital where my life hung in the balance for many days. Thanks for all the good wishes & love sent our way in August'23. Forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, volunteers & all the staff at , , who helped us
Gratitude abounds from me and my family 🙏🏼