By Lindsay Broyhill, Acend The Aspen Institute, September 29, 2020
Infant and parent brains and bodies undergo rapid growth and transformation during the transition to parenting, presenting a unique opportunity to positively impact two generations. In the 2015 report Two Open Windows: Infant and Parent Biologic Change, Drs. Pilyoung Kim and Sarah Watamura (also an Ascend Fellow) of the University of Denver highlighted research supporting the transition to parenting as a co-occurring sensitive period—in other words, as a time in life characterized by “two open windows” where both infants and parents are especially receptive to being shaped by their environments.
A new report provides an update of this research, highlighting studies suggesting that parenting brain changes happen in all primary caregivers – including fathers and non-biological parents in addition to biological mothers – in response to the caregiving role. Having an effective caregiver present, regardless of degree of biological relation to the child, benefits a child’s well-being.
These findings have critical implications for the 2Gen field, as the transition to parenting is a sensitive period that provides a unique opportunity to support children and the adults in their lives together. The recent research highlighted in this report present an immense opportunity to leverage the neural plasticity during early life and the transition to parenthood to effect changes that can improve outcomes for parents and children alike. Two-generation approaches that directly target adult mental health, including prior trauma, to cultivate well-being and enhance parent-child relationships may be especially powerful, and programming traditionally designed for mothers can work and be adapted for other types of caregivers.
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