04/01/2026
A simple way to understand your child’s big emotions.
Imagine the brain as a car.
The driver’s seat is the thinking brain (the prefrontal cortex).
This part helps with reasoning, impulse control, and decision-making.
The back seat is the emotional brain.
It reacts quickly to frustration, fear, or excitement.
The trunk represents the nervous system, which controls the body’s stress responses.
Ideally, the thinking brain stays in the driver’s seat.
But when emotions become overwhelming, the emotional brain can push the driver out and start steering the car.
In those moments, children aren’t choosing misbehavior.
Their nervous system has taken over.
That’s why the most helpful first step often isn’t punishment.
It’s helping the nervous system settle so the thinking brain can get back in the driver’s seat.
Understanding this shifts how many parents see behavior.
Instead of asking, “Why is my child doing this?”
we begin to ask, “What might their nervous system need right now?”
If you’ve ever wondered why children have such big emotional reactions, I explain the brain science behind this in my newest blog.
✨ You can read it through the link in my bio.
I’d love to hear from you:
Can you think of a moment when your child’s emotional brain took the driver’s seat?
raisingemotionallyintelligentkids emotionregulation
