The amygdala can register an emotion in as little as 20 milliseconds—that’s faster than the blink of an eye! It’s designed to react quickly to potential threats, scanning for danger before the thinking part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) even gets a chance to weigh in. This ultra-fast response is part of our survival system—but in children, whose brains are still developing, the amygdala often overreacts to emotional triggers like frustration, fear, or sensory overload. That’s why co-regul