Dr. Erica Komisar

The other thing that's important that mothers do is they buffer babies from stress by wearing them on their body for the first year and then by being as present as possible for three years. They actually protect baby's brains from cortisol, the stress hormone. So there is a hormone called oxytocin. It's the love hormone. And it is protective against cortisol.

The other thing that's important that mothers do is they buffer babies from stress by wearing them on their body for the first year and then by being as present as possible for three years. They actually protect baby's brains from cortisol, the stress hormone. So there is a hormone called oxytocin. It's the love hormone. And it is protective against cortisol.

The more a mother nurtures with sensitive empathic nurturing, meaning when the baby cries, the mother goes, oh, sweetheart, you know, let me see the boo-boo. Let me kiss the boo-boo. that actually raises the oxytocin in the baby's brain, which then protects the baby from cortisol.

The more a mother nurtures with sensitive empathic nurturing, meaning when the baby cries, the mother goes, oh, sweetheart, you know, let me see the boo-boo. Let me kiss the boo-boo. that actually raises the oxytocin in the baby's brain, which then protects the baby from cortisol.

So now, fathers. Why are fathers important? So fathers also produce oxytocin, but it has a different effect on their brain. So for mothers, oxytocin makes mothers sensitive empathic nurturers, very vigilant to the baby's distress. When fathers produce oxytocin, it comes from a different part of their brain, and it makes them more what we call playful, tactile stimulators of babies.

So now, fathers. Why are fathers important? So fathers also produce oxytocin, but it has a different effect on their brain. So for mothers, oxytocin makes mothers sensitive empathic nurturers, very vigilant to the baby's distress. When fathers produce oxytocin, it comes from a different part of their brain, and it makes them more what we call playful, tactile stimulators of babies.

What does that sound like to you?

What does that sound like to you?

Throwing the baby up in the air and tickling the baby and running after the baby and roughhousing. And so that's important for a variety of reasons. First, it encourages things like exploration and risk-taking. It encourages separation. And fathers do this really important thing, which is they help the baby to learn to regulate certain emotions. So mothers help to regulate sadness, fear,

Throwing the baby up in the air and tickling the baby and running after the baby and roughhousing. And so that's important for a variety of reasons. First, it encourages things like exploration and risk-taking. It encourages separation. And fathers do this really important thing, which is they help the baby to learn to regulate certain emotions. So mothers help to regulate sadness, fear,

fear, distress. Fathers help to regulate excitement and aggression. So when fathers aren't in the house, when there are single mothers raising children without a father, often little boys develop behavioral problems is what we're seeing, that they can't regulate their aggression because fathers help little boys in particular, but little girls too, to regulate aggression.

fear, distress. Fathers help to regulate excitement and aggression. So when fathers aren't in the house, when there are single mothers raising children without a father, often little boys develop behavioral problems is what we're seeing, that they can't regulate their aggression because fathers help little boys in particular, but little girls too, to regulate aggression.

So when fathers aren't around, you'll often see little boys who are more impulsive, who are more aggressive. So the answer is fathers and mothers are both critical to the development of children, which is a very controversial thing to say today because if you're raised without one, you are missing a piece. But they're not the same.

So when fathers aren't around, you'll often see little boys who are more impulsive, who are more aggressive. So the answer is fathers and mothers are both critical to the development of children, which is a very controversial thing to say today because if you're raised without one, you are missing a piece. But they're not the same.

And they're not the same because our hormones dictate they're not the same. So fathers produce a hormone in great quantities called vasopressin. Vasopressin is the protective aggressive hormone. And what does it do? It helps fathers to protect their family. There was a study that was done where mothers and fathers lay in bed and the baby cries. It was out of the UK, this study.

And they're not the same because our hormones dictate they're not the same. So fathers produce a hormone in great quantities called vasopressin. Vasopressin is the protective aggressive hormone. And what does it do? It helps fathers to protect their family. There was a study that was done where mothers and fathers lay in bed and the baby cries. It was out of the UK, this study.

The baby cries and the father sleep through the baby's distress cries, but the mothers wake up right away. But with the rustling of leaves outside the window, the mothers sleep through it and the fathers wake up right away because the fathers are attuned to predatorial threat. So our nurturing hormones make us different.

The baby cries and the father sleep through the baby's distress cries, but the mothers wake up right away. But with the rustling of leaves outside the window, the mothers sleep through it and the fathers wake up right away because the fathers are attuned to predatorial threat. So our nurturing hormones make us different.

I mean, the fact that we can say that there are many things that are similar between women and men, of course, we're both intelligent, we can both be ambitious. But I think the idea that we want to kind of make everything the same when it's just not factual, it is the inconvenient truth that mothers and fathers are

I mean, the fact that we can say that there are many things that are similar between women and men, of course, we're both intelligent, we can both be ambitious. But I think the idea that we want to kind of make everything the same when it's just not factual, it is the inconvenient truth that mothers and fathers are