Parents often punish for intent - their child intended to misbehave. Tragically they are punishing for a not yet developed part of their child's brain.

For parents of children older than three this video should come with a content warning label:

"The video you are about to watch contains science that could evoke strong feelings of regret.  Viewer discretion is advised."

Dr. Adele Diamond is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, is one of the “2000 Outstanding Women of the 20th Century” and has been listed as one the 15 most influential neuroscientists alive today. She was educated at Swarthmore (BA, Phi Beta Kappa), Harvard (PhD), and Yale Medical School where she did her post doctoral work.

Fortunately for the children of the world, Dr. Diamond chose to apply her extraordinary talents to the study of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and is recognized as the pioneer and a world leader in the field. 

Specifically, her area of focus is executive functions.  These are the skills humans use to guide and direct behavior.  Harvard describes executive functions and self-regulation skills are like an air traffic control system in the brain—they help us manage information, make decisions, and plan ahead.

Knowing the significance of Dr. Diamond's reputation and work, when I was presented with her lab's discovery of this science, it was a gut punch that I'm still recovering from.

Parents often punish for intent - their child intended to misbehave. Tragically they are punishing for a not yet developed part of their child's brain.