When asked, about raising balanced, resilient, insightful and empathetic kids, Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, author of “The Yes Brain,” shared the following in a recent interview with Katherine Reynolds Lewis.

A: I think parents are overwhelmed and taxed. I think one thing that seems fairly common and changeable, is that when kids get reactive or disrespectful or have problematic behavior because they’re dysregulated and have lost balance, parents join them in that reactive state of mind and it just amplifies the distress all around. Making sure we’re balanced and regulated, both in the moment (taking a break or waiting if needed), calming our own nervous systems and emotions before we engage or interact and – in the bigger picture – taking care of ourselves and getting enough sleep so that we have the capacity to parent the way we’d like to parent, is essential. If we want to teach our kids to be balanced, resilient, insightful and empathetic, we have to model that. We don’t have to be perfect, and when we mess up, we can repair with our kids, but these are areas we can cultivate in ourselves as well.

Interested in changing a reactive and disrespectful dynamic in your family? Don’t miss our upcoming Noted Parenting Author Talk with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D., co-author with Daniel J. Siegel of the best-selling book “The Whole Brain Child” and, more recently, of “The Yes Brain Child: Help Your Child be More Resilient, Independent and Creative.” The webinar takes place Wednesday, January 30, at 8 p.m. ET, register here.

Katherine Lewis is a certified parent educator with the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) and author of The Good News About Bad Behavior, Why Kids Are Less Disciplined Than Ever–And What to Do About It. This post was excerpted from an article that appeared in Washington Parent Magazine’s January 2019 issue. Read the full article here.