NATURE& NURTURE
This follow-up to 2020’s I’m Sticking With You is a lovely expansion of the original buddy story. In the first book, Squirrel realised although Bear’s company could be overwhelming, he really did love having him around.
This time, Chicken wants to join them and form a musical band, and initially Bear and Squirrel reject him... before realising three doesn’t have to be a crowd.
Fans will find it quite strange to see their beloved Bear and Squirrel acting so unkindly, but it’s ultimately another heartfelt message of accepting people’s differences and letting go of your own selfishness – told in Halls’ masterful sing-song rhyme, ideal for early readers or parents telling a bedtime story.
Small’s clean, distinguishable style shows children’s illustrations can evoke huge feelings without resorting to exaggeration.
THE way parents bring children up will, of course, have a huge impact on their behaviour, but their genetic make-up can have just as much of an effect, and there’s nothing parents can do about that – is there? Well, yes and no.
While parents obviously can’t alter their children’s DNA, they can learn how to understand why their genes can make them act in certain ways, and tailor their parenting accordingly, explains Danielle Dick, a professor of psychology and human and molecular genetics. “Why do our kids do the amazing, crazy, ridiculous, frustrating, and adorable things they do?” she asks. “The answer can be found, partly, in their genes.
“We want to shape our children into responsible, kind, productive human beings, but very often we ignore one of the biggest things shaping our children’s development – their genes.”
Danielle has just written The Child Code, in which she explains that around half the differences between children’s behaviour, ranging from extraversion (how outgoing they are) to impulsivity and anxiety, result from differences in their DNA, with the other half coming from differences in their environments.
“By ignoring the genetic piece, we make it harder on ourselves as par
Danielle Dick
LISA SALMON
An expert in genetics explains to that understanding how a child’s DNA shapes behavioural tendencies can help you hone your parenting style
ents, because understanding how our children’s genes shape their behaviour can help us parent them to become the best version of themselves,” she stresses.
Here are five key things Dick believes parents need to know about how children’s genes impact behaviour...
1.Genes influence the way children’s brains are wired
DNA doesn’t just code for brown hair or blue eyes, it shapes the way children’s brains form, which impacts their natural tendencies, says Danielle. This explains why some kids are naturally more sociable, and others take longer to warm to new people and situations, for example.
While some children are more gowith-the-flow, others can be more prone to distress, frustration, and fear. Some kids have more self-control, and others are more impulsive.”
It all starts with differences in their DNA,” says Danielle, who’s created a quiz in The Child Code to help parents work out their own child’s genetic temperament.
“To figure out what behaviours reflect your child’s natural disposition, think about their tendencies that show consistency across time and situations,” she says. science hold the key to better parenting?
“For example, many children get grumpy when they’re tired or hungry, but if your child consistently seems to get very upset over seemingly minor things, and has been this way since they were little, it [may] reflect a disposition toward higher emotionality.”
2.Children’s genes influence how other people respond to them
Because children’s genes influence their temperaments, they also impact the way other people respond to them – a happy baby is more likely to be held and smiled at than a baby who cries constantly, and a child with low self-control may be more likely to elicit frustration or punishment from their parents.
“This creates a developmental cascade whereby each child’s genes impact their environmental experiences, which then further impact the child,” explains Danielle.
3.Genes influence how children respond to their environments
Children with different dispositions experience the world in different ways, says Danielle - a harsh look from a parent may bring one child to tears, for example, but barely register for another. Meeting a dog on the street might delight one child, and leave another cowering.
“Certain environments can be more or less stressful, or enjoyable, depending on the child’s genetic disposition,” says Danielle.
child’s tantrum tendency
4.Genes influence the environments kids seek
Danielle explains that