What is Parent Coaching?

I am sure some of you are scratching your head right now and wondering, “what in the world is a parent coach?!”

There are a lot of things that a Parent Coach is, and there are a lot of things that a Parent Coach is not. 

Let’s start with what a Parent Coach is NOT:

•   A Parent Coach is not your therapist. I don’t dive into the deep, dark secrets of your childhood and examine why you are the way you are. That’s what therapists are for.

•   A Parent Coach is not your judge. I don’t come into your life and tell you all the things you are doing wrong. I think we all do that well enough on our own. 

•   A Parent Coach is not your mom, your girl friend, or your neighbor who is well meaning in the advice they are giving, but you know the advice comes with strings attached to it. I have no ulterior motive than to see you thrive as a parent and in life. 

•   A Parent Coach is not a “super nanny.” In fact, I probably will never come to your house nor meet your kids and I am not going to give you a formula for how you should raise your kids!

Now that we know what Parent Coaching is not, let’s focus on the good stuff. So, what exactly is Parent Coaching?

•   A Parent Coach is a partner, cheerleader, and guide. We are a team with a mission and our mission is you and your family. We work together to discover you and in discovering you, we discover all the really good stuff about you that equips you to be the best person for your family. We then take all that good stuff and through purposeful questions, inventories, and other intentional activities, I guide you in discovering the wisdom that is within you for your parenting challenges.

•   A Parent Coach helps you see "the whole." In the midst of the day-to-day grind, it is so easy to see only what we want to see. Because all aspects of life affect our parenting, nothing is off limits. We talk about the good and the hard, the beautiful and the ugly and in the midst of it, I have the opportunity to ask questions that help you shift perspective, draw out strengths you didn’t see before, and offer knowledge that comes from my background in child development and education.

•   A Parent Coach works with you to design personal action steps. Have you read books that outlined a five step program that was going to give you amazing, well-behaved children by Friday and thought, “You don’t know me and you don’t know my kids!?” With a Parent Coach, we design action steps based on your unique strengths and talents. Because the action steps are based on you and not a formula, parents see success soon after applying the action steps to life. 

•   A Parent Coach provides accountability to follow through. How many of us have read a book or attended a workshop and felt super excited about what we learned only to return home and not follow through on applying what we learned? I know I have! Because we meet together once a week, there is a natural accountability that develops. And if something is not working, we get to work together to figure out why and develop a new approach. 

•   A Parent Coach recognizes and appreciates the change. Sometimes change starts so small that we don’t notice it or celebrate it in our lives. Parent Coaching is about actually taking the time to notice, and more importantly, to celebrate the changes you see as a result of the coaching and I guarantee you will see changes in you and in your family!

I love what I do. I love being a parent – it is what I have always wanted to be. I love parent coaching and helping other parents be their most genuine self. It is a gift. I have a strong desire to help other parents navigate the journey we are on while raising our children. I feel honored to be able to do that with my clients. It’s a crazy world we are raising our kids in, with lots of pressure from many different angles. It can be easy to get lost in the craziness and need help finding our way to a thriving life.