We need to prioritize emotional well-being in parenting | Edidiong Ishola | TEDxNorthern Quarter

Parenting advice often centres on children's behaviour, but this TEDxNorthern Quarter talk by Edidiong Ishola asks what happens when the parent's nervous system is overwhelmed. It looks at stress, co-regulation and parental nervous system regulation, and argues that supporting caregivers can change the emotional climate of a family. The speaker, a perinatal and family mental health expert and biomedical scientist, draws on nine years of work with parents across different cultural and socioeconomic contexts. She advocates a model of parenting built on emotional regulation, prevention and collective support, and frames perinatal mental health as a public health issue rather than a private struggle.

• Why a parent's stress and nervous system state shape a child's sense of safety
• Co-regulation and how caregivers can regulate themselves
• Perinatal mental health framed as a public health issue
• Prevention and collective support for families

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only represents the speaker’s personal views and understanding of the nervous system, development, and behavior. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf Parenting advice often focuses on children's behaviour, but what happens when the parent's nervous system is overwhelmed? This talk explores stress, co-regulation and parental nervous system regulation, showing why supporting caregivers can transform the emotional climate of a family. Edidiong is a perinatal and family mental health expert, biomedical scientist, and social impact founder whose work sits at the intersection of science, psychology, and lived experience. Her journey into maternal and family well-being began when training in biomedical science exposed her to the realities of reproductive health, risk, and prevention. Over the past nine years, she has supported parents and families across different cultural and socioeconomic contexts, with a consistent insight emerging from her work: a child’s sense of safety and regulation is deeply shaped by the emotional state of the adults who care for them. Her work focuses on helping parents understand how stress, trauma, and nervous system overload influence parenting, relationships & child development. She advocates for a model of parenting that prioritises emotional regulation, prevention and collective support, reframing perinatal mental health as a public health issue rather than a private struggle. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx