School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing and may improve school performance and overall child development.
Once again we have social science research highlighting the importance of moms. This research shows that moms who are intentional with how they interact with their children, especially as it relates to working on particular tasks with their children, can have a profound impact on their child’s future well-being.
