One particularly interesting experience was talking about the habit of sharing. Peters presents this as our human wanting to share and our chimp not wanting to share. My son pointed out that actually he and his chimp and were in agreement that they didn’t want to share. I don’t know how common this would be but I’d tend to agree with my son that my system 2 by default (especially when I was younger) doesn’t particularly want to share.

It takes a lot of courage to share their concerns and to be vulnerable, so making sure you’re fully engaged is crucial so that your child feels heard. 2. Help Them Separate Their ThoughtsKaren isn’t only an experienced, accredited coach, she’s also a hard-working mum with many years of employment in the corporate world, the last 10 at a very senior level. I have a nine-year-old boy who has been the subject of bully at school from two or three of his classmates - it’s been going on since September. However, the book also presents us as having to put our chimps in a box when they are misbehaving. The examples given in the book are of circumstances where the chimp is having a negative effect on our lives (not sharing, telling lies to parents, being unkind to friends). I’ll grant that there are edge cases where these actions might be beneficial but, especially for a child, the advice to prevent our chimps from doing these things overall seems like the right way to go. Taking the metaphor literally We view the mind as a remarkable machine that represents our greatest asset. If you could better understand and manage your emotions, thinking and behaviours, what difference could it make to you? One way that bullying can be countered, and a way in which your son could begin to rebuild his faith in others, is to help him to form close relationships with friends who are positive towards him and enjoy his company.

Helping your Child with Fears and Worries; A self-help guide for parents. Cathy Crreswll and Lucy Willets

His approach to “mind management” is to simplify the neuroscience of the brain into a comprehensive model. Our brains are controlled by the computer that stores information and experiences; the human (the rational and logical part) and the chimp: our evolutionary hangover; the irrational, rash part of you which leaps to conclusions, fires up overreactions and generally plays havoc with your emotional balance. Learn how to train your chimp and your health, happiness and success will all improve. Fear of failure, procrastination, being unkind to others: what if we could help children train their brains to avoid these habits and embed more helpful ones instead? Habits such as smiling more, sharing and avoiding tantrums. According to psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters, all this is totally within our reach - it’s just a question of managing your chimp. The most important thing is for you to be firm but relaxed about this. He will come to no harm even though it can be frustrating." Parent 2

After the Chimp Paradox came out, teachers and parents requested Peters write the model at a children’s level, and he started to work with schools. Peters already knew young children could understand the model. While a psychiatrist, he says, ‘my youngest student was three. He managed his own temper tantrums. The parents described it as a miracle! Once I explained to him that this wasn’t him, it was a naughty chimp, he got that.’ If you want to master your mind, then Professor Steve Peters is The Mastermind. You’ll probably have heard of his work with Olympic athletes - British Cycling credited him for multiple Olympic medals - but he’s also worked with Liverpool and England football teams, as well as English Rugby. Victoria Pendleton called him the ‘most important person in my career’. Emotion takes a long time to process,” says Steve. Sometimes we have to run over challenging things in our minds a few times before the chimp in us is able to accept them. One of the most convincing things about Peters’ theories is their non-revelatory quality. We know that discussing a child’s behaviour with them while they are mid-tantrum is self-defeating. We know the act of smiling makes you feel happier and affects how people respond to you. The book simply serves as a reminder as to how we can use this knowledge to our advantage. Putting on the Breaks (ADHD) by Patricia Quin ​ Written by two nationally recognized ADHD experts, Putting on the Brakesincludes practical ways to improve focusing, studying, and homework skills and contains strategies for making friends, controlling emotions, and being healthy.Before reading the book I could often see how his mind was working when he did lose control and could tell that he was desperately searching for ways that he could still be in the right. Then afterwards you could see how confused he was with himself and he couldn’t figure out why he’d done what he did. Now he feels like he understands what went wrong and how he can do better next time. As many children learn habits during childhood that are often carried into adult life, I have written this book based on habit formation. I hope it will help young children to develop constructive and healthy habits for life.” However, sometimes, it’s a bit silly and thinks that everything is dangerous, even when it isn’t. 4. Draw Your Brain Helping kids understand what role the inner chimp is playing in their lives can be a great way to prevent these negative thoughts from taking over. What’s Your Inner Chimp Telling You?