
The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired
Audible Audiobook
– Unabridged
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Parenting isn’t easy. Showing up is. Your greatest impact begins right where you are. Now, the best-selling authors of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline explain what this means over the course of childhood.
"There is parenting magic in this book." (Michael Thompson, PhD, co-author of the New York Times best-selling classic Raising Cain)
One of the very best scientific predictors for how any child turns out - in terms of happiness, academic success, leadership skills, and meaningful relationships - is whether at least one adult in their life has consistently shown up for them. In an age of scheduling demands and digital distractions, showing up for your child might sound like a tall order. But as best-selling authors Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson reassuringly explain, it doesn’t take a lot of time, energy, or money. Instead, showing up means offering a quality of presence. And it’s simple to provide once you understand the four building blocks of a child’s healthy development. Every child needs to feel what Siegel and Bryson call the Four S's:
- Safe: We can’t always insulate a child from injury or avoid doing something that leads to hurt feelings. But when we give a child a sense of safe harbor, she will be able to take the needed risks for growth and change.
- Seen: Truly seeing a child means we pay attention to his emotions - both positive and negative - and strive to attune to what’s happening in his mind beneath his behavior.
- Soothed: Soothing isn’t about providing a life of ease; it’s about teaching your child how to cope when life gets hard, and showing him that you’ll be there with him along the way. A soothed child knows that he’ll never have to suffer alone.
- Secure: When a child knows she can count on you, time and again, to show up - when you reliably provide safety, focus on seeing her, and soothe her in times of need, she will trust in a feeling of secure attachment. And thrive!
Based on the latest brain and attachment research, The Power of Showing Up shares stories, scripts, simple strategies, and tips for honoring the Four S’s effectively in all kinds of situations - when our kids are struggling or when they are enjoying success; when we are consoling, disciplining, or arguing with them; and even when we are apologizing for the times we don’t show up for them. Demonstrating that mistakes and missteps are repairable and that it’s never too late to mend broken trust, this audiobook is a powerful guide to cultivating your child’s healthy emotional landscape.
This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of the Refrigerator Sheet, a summary of the Four S’s to remember in forming secure attachments.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
- Listening Length7 hours and 27 minutes
- Audible release dateJanuary 7, 2020
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB07ZZHK17S
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook

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Product details
Listening Length | 7 hours and 27 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Daniel J. Siegel MD, Tina Payne Bryson PhD |
Narrator | Daniel J. Siegel MD, Tina Payne Bryson PhD |
Audible.com Release Date | January 07, 2020 |
Publisher | Random House Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B07ZZHK17S |
Best Sellers Rank | #4,967 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #14 in Child Psychology (Audible Books & Originals) #21 in Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychology #35 in Medical Child Psychology |
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2019
Top reviews from the United States
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Successful and secure. Your past doesn’t define you, but there are ways to shape and mold your little people.
Excellent points throughout the book!

By Olivia on October 14, 2019
Successful and secure. Your past doesn’t define you, but there are ways to shape and mold your little people.
Excellent points throughout the book!

One of my big beefs right now as a parent, teacher and coach is that many of us are so INTO our phones that we don't or can't see our children. Nothing makes me crazier than going out for a nice dinner and be seated next to a family where everyone is engrossed in their phone. What's the point? So when I was offered this title I almost passed . . . I (Capital, bold, italicized) pay attention to my kids. I don't need that book.
BUT I was short on reading material, and maybe there's something there for me. So I requested it.
The book itself is well made -- strong binding, thick cover, thick pages. Print is clear and easy to read with illustrations and images that help drive the point home. The information included is interesting and easy to read while stimulating thought and consideration for your life and how your actions shape the adults your children will become. Basic chapters are broken into an introduction to attachment science, helping your child feel safe/seen/soothed and secure, and a conclusion. It allows the parent (regardless of your child's age) to consider how you were parented and you are parenting your own. Yes, as a parent of a child with an attachment disorder I have heard the majority of this information before. But it is a great reminder and many sections were presented in a unique way I haven't heard before. Do I think it will "cure" my eldest? Definitely not. But it will give me a reminder on the methods that will work well for her, and it certainly will benefit my other child as well.
The BEST part of this book was that there was no blame. So often people with children who have attachment issues are told (or feel like they're being told) that they are the problem. There was no discussion of how you are a lousy parent, just realistic advice to evaluate where you are now and move forward to a healthier future.
Top reviews from other countries




It provides an understanding of what was lacking in their approach, and as a consequence now in yours. That in turn can transform your view of yourself and your approach to parenting in a very positive way.
While my child still in grade school, and my parenting mistakes have been many (on every level), this book was an epiphany. Suddenly my upbringing (and whole live) made perfect sense and my path to better parenting became crystal clear.
