Children with intuitive intelligence, challenged by cultural systems which do not know how to connect with or teach them, need permission to follow their personal path and optimize their talent. We can give that permission and model it for them by developing our intuitive parenting.

Every child has the capacity for high intutive intelligence just as each could be a musical maestro or a mathematical genius. Intuition is a natural intelligence that all children possess. Intuitive development depends on the environment, parental support, and education.

Tummy time is very important for any baby. While many babies don't like this position at first, you can encourage your baby by joining him or her on the floor, for playtime. Read "The Importance of Tummy Time" to learn more.

Starting from the moment of conception, a child's brain is wired by his or her environment, which includes the thoughts, attitudes, and behavior of his or her parents. Read "Building Baby's Brain: Parenting from Conception through Infancy" to learn more.

QUESTION

Hi Dr. Laura,
My husband and I are seriously considering assuming permanent guardianship for 3 young children, and particularly the youngest. Their mother is a foster-sister. Here are details:

Children are 16 months, 2½ and 4.
Their mom is a little slow mentally.
She breastfed each to age one or so.
The children have been shifted around once they hit toddler age.
There is obvious developmental delay.
They don't mind going with unfamiliar people, but do panic if you put on your coat. It is as if they're afraid you will leave without them.

Around the age of one, children enter the "me do it" stage. This is when they develop a sense of autonomy vs. doubt and shame. Two through six heralds the development of a sense of initiative vs. guilt. This means it is their developmental job to explore and experiment.

"From the journey down the birth canal to afternoons at the park, a child will register every experience in the circuitry of his or her brain. Whenever a mother strokes her baby, whenever a father plays with his daughter or son...

As we now know, we can no longer separate the mind from the body, or nature from nurture. Even more important, our new knowledge will change the way we parent and teach the young.