Parent Coaching
Are The Joys Of Parenthood Being Overshadowed By Worry, Exhaustion, Or Doubt?
Are you concerned with the welfare and development of your child but uncertain about how to help them? Are you struggling with family issues, such as illness or marital problems that are making parenting even more stressful and challenging? Is the task of caring for children interfering with your own well-being, maybe even leaving you feeling guilty about longing for days when you didn’t have to worry so much about someone else’s well-being?
Parenting is challenging, and there’s no way around it. No one receives any real training on how to raise a child, and the examples we draw upon for guidance are often flawed or contradict each other. It’s understandable if you feel frustrated, exhausted, or even resentful at times. After all, it’s a huge departure from the life that preceded parenthood, and it doesn’t help that we live in a society that romanticizes the unlikely fiction of a perfect family life with perfectly behaved children.
Parent coaching offers education and support to help mothers and fathers, in all types of family configurations, navigate the difficult job of raising children. Parent coaching will give you a better understanding of your child’s developmental needs and abilities, and help you understand how your beliefs, communication style, and relationship dynamics impact your parenting. Our work together will enable you to build a stronger connection with your child, help them flourish, and help you feel more capable and at ease in your role as a parent.
The Truth Is, Parenting Is Hard—It Just Is
And when you throw in the stress of work, being a supportive partner or single parent, and taking care of daily responsibilities, the pressure can be overwhelming. The realities of life for many parents make it challenging to navigate the complexities of raising children while retaining the energy to care for themselves at the same time.
Although we can’t eliminate all of the challenges of parenting, we can work together in parent coaching to ensure you have the understanding, tools, and confidence to face those obstacles with greater ease.
What You Can Expect From Our Parent Coaching Sessions
I believe in helping clients explore the roots of their parenting concerns and challenges while also providing them with relief and solutions to the challenges they face. After our phone consultation, we’ll meet for our first parent coaching session so I can gather some basic information and learn more about your current situation. From there, our work together in parenting coaching can take any number of directions, depending on your needs.
We might begin by learning about your child’s developmental abilities and needs to better understand the most effective methods of approaching your child and the problems they are having. We’ll likely look at the broader network of support available to you, and any external forces impacting you, your child, and your parenting. Parenting coaching might also include exploring your family background, looking for experiences in your childhood that impact the way you perceive yourself as a parent and the way you react to your children’s feelings, needs, and behaviors.
Perhaps You’re Considering Parent Coaching, But You Still Have Concerns…
I don’t think anyone can help—my child/situation is too difficult.
It’s very hard to have hope when you are in the middle of a difficult situation. As a parenting coach, I won’t be able to eliminate all of the challenges you are facing, but I will be able to help you increase the ease and skill with which you navigate them and the support you have available to you.
I’m embarrassed that this is so hard for me.
Raising a child is one of the most important and challenging jobs you will ever have. It makes sense that you feel overwhelmed. This is not a fairy tale; it’s real life, and raising another human being and caring for their every need is not easy. There is support available, and you deserve it.
I feel selfish for spending the time and money on myself for parenting coaching.
In our society, we don’t normalize how exhausting it is to be a parent, so I completely understand your reservation, but the truth is that if you are stressed out and denying yourself the support you deserve, you’re going to have trouble interacting with your children in a thoughtful, empathic, informed manner. The resources you devote to parent coaching benefit the whole family.