“Red Brain, Blue Brain: Parenting When Logic Goes Offline”

Parenting becomes most difficult in the moments when a child’s emotions suddenly surge, reasoning disappears, and their behaviour feels overwhelming or unpredictable. Grounded in brain science, the session explains how the amygdala, which is the brain’s alarm system, can flood a child’s nervous system with intense emotion, sending them into “Red Brain” mode. When this happens, the logical, problem-solving part of the brain (“Blue Brain”) goes temporarily offline. Children cannot reason, listen, or follow instructions not because they won’t, but because their biology has shifted into protection mode. Parents will leave with a toolkit of evidence-informed practices to help their children move from reactive behaviour toward emotional resilience.