Cultures teach us how to raise our children. This process is so normal, so subtle, so unconscious that we often don’t even realise what we have been taught. When times change, with the environment altering or knowledge shifting, cultures don’t necessarily change too. That is why Suzanne believes that all parents deserve to understand the Science of Connection. This lets them think more consciously about how their child’s needs, as well as their own needs, can best be met.

British parents are more vociferous than they once were. They are more informed about aspects of child development, and they are more willing to challenge authority. Suzanne regards these as positive shifts. Simultaneously, though, more families are living in poverty, technology distracts us from the present moment, and trust in authority has degraded. These are worrying shifts. This is the societal context in which parents are raising children.

Suzanne works to empower parents so that they feel more informed and confident in the decisions they take. She has worked with a wide range of organisations, engaging in topics from singing to school starting age to infant strollers and lots in between. Throughout, she emphasises the importance of listening, the value of laughter and the profound nature of human development. She knows that the information she shares is often as discomforting as it is enriching, and she is constantly on the lookout for creative new ways to help the public step into curiosity. Comments such as this one, from a mum of three, give a sense of why Suzanne thinks it matters: “The information Suzanne has shared has been life-changing for me. It lets us understand the impact of attachment and childhood experiences on you and all your relationships.”

Here are some of the groups that Suzanne has worked with, exploring parents’ hopes, needs and worries.

2021 – Deferring the start of formal schooling