Top 10 Truths About Parent Coaching in Houston
Lots of parents feel lost sometimes. We don’t get automatic training when we have our kids, and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to parent the right way. But how do you know what’s right? Parent coaching can help.
Here are our top 10 truths about parents and how coaching can help.
Every parent wants to do right by their kids.
This sentiment, paraphrased from the late, great, T. Berry Brazelton, is 100% true. No matter what, parents we know want to do the right thing. Whether you believe it or not, you’re the expert on how things should go for your kids and in your families. You just may not have all the tools to build the structure you’re seeking. Parent coaches can join you in reaching that goal.
Hiring a parent coach means you’re a strong parent.
You might worry that seeking help means you’re weak, that you don’t know what you’re doing, and that you should already know how to do this stuff. Nope. The opposite is true. Getting a parent coach on your team means you’re strong enough to know when some support will help you get to where you want to go. Asking questions and being open to the answers is a great example for your kids, too.
Modeling is the most powerful form of teaching.
When you consult an expert like a parent coach, you’re showing your kids that you value your family and that you’re making it a top priority. What better way to help them become the kind of adult you want to raise? You’re showing them that you want to learn, to grow, to reach family goals.
Going it alone is not the only way.
There are times when you really do want and need to find your own way. But it’s not the only way to get good things in your life. Parenting can be lonely, confusing, enriching, and incredibly rewarding. Having someone come alongside you in the way that a parent coach does can make it easier and help you feel like you’re on the right path.
Parent coaching can help you find the right answer--for YOU.
Google just about any parenting topic, and you’ll find an answer. Or 1,000 answers. Some of which may contradict each other and just downright not apply to you and your kids. Things that work for your neighbor and their children might have been a massive fail at your house, or your kids may react completely differently. Consulting a parent coach will focus your search for answers on you, your kids, and your goals.
Parent coaching is not an instant fix.
As helpful as it can be, parent coaching won’t solve all your problems the minute you have a session. You’ll get tips, strategies, and recommendations to implement. You’ll have to put them in play and see how they work, then let your parent coach know how it went in order to make successful changes in your home.
Your kids crave the structure that a parent coach can help you create.
You might be a free spirit, loving all things spontaneous and taking your kids along for the ride. What a gift to give them! But here’s the un-fun truth: structure is your kids’ best friend when it comes to comfort and, honestly, doing what you need them to do. When you create consistency around routines, expectations, and limits, your kids know what to count on. So give it a chance when your parent coach encourages you to tighten up a little. It will give your kids a solid foundation so you have space to have fun when it’s time.
The way to change your kids’ behavior is to change how they’re parented.
Your children are probably not perfect angels. If they’re like most kids, they do stuff they’re not supposed to, when they’re not supposed to, and resist change. Guess what? Adults are like that, too. Parents have a lot more resources to change how they do things than kids do, and that’s where parent coaching can be an amazing view into the life you want as a parent and a family. With just a few shifts in the ways you approach your kids, you can improve their behavior, your relationship, and your outlook.
Parents too often do what they punish their kids for doing.
A common paradox of parenting is that we punish kids by doing the exact thing we’re trying to get them to stop doing. Ever yelled at your kids for yelling at you? Yeah, me too. In the heat of the moment, it can be almost impossible to feel capable of logic and reason. Parent coaching can give you some tools, help you practice using them, and over time, can flip your “automatic” switches to strategies that you’d love to see your kids using (like self-reflection, taking some calm-down time, and discussing things in a rational way).
Parents are given all of the responsibility, but they have none of the control.
We’re quick as a society to judge parents whose kids are misbehaving, underperforming, fill-in-the-blank. And we’re right to expect parents to be there for their kids! But if we’re honest, how much of that behavior do we have actual control over? We can say that a child may not speak certain words, or that they must get good grades. But I don’t know about you--I haven’t found a way to control a child so they do things they don’t want to do, especially when they’re not actually with me. Physical force is not the answer. A good parent coach can help you set limits on behavior that you can actually influence and can teach you how to give your kids the responsibility for complying with those limits.
If you’re tired of searching on your own for answers about something as important as parenting your children, give us a call at (713) 936-0633. Parent coaching is one of our favorite things to do, and we’re happy to schedule a free phone consultation so you can ask us the questions you have about it.