"When we become a parent, we bring with us issues from our own past that influence the way
we parent our children.  Experiences that are not fully processed may create unresolved and leftover
issues that influence how we react to our children. . . .These intense states of mind. . .  affect our interactions
​and relationships with our children."

                                                                                               ~  Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Mary Hartzel, M.Ed. (2003)

Some of the most valuable advice I ever got about parenting was from an elderly man that I serendipitously met at a bookstore when I was pregnant with my first child. He thoughtfully asked me if he could "give me some advice."  I accepted his offer and he replied "Read everything you can and then forget everything you read and follow your instinct." As an academic and a research scientist I value evidence-based research. As a woman, mother and doula I also appreciate and value that which science cannot fully explain. Thus, both science and instinct form the basis of my parenting philosophy.