I was talking with a parent coach colleague the other day and she was relaying a conversation she had with a parent who was interested in her services. They talked about the process and what the parent could expect. The parent was interested, until the point at which the discussion of cost came up.
Suddenly, the parent was having second thoughts. “It IS a lot of money” she said.
So we got to talking about this common concern. How quickly do many of us decide to invest in a new flat-screen television? How many of us stop at the local coffee shop each morning for a latte? How many of us are spending money on things we don’t really need that won’t really help us to live a more fulfilled, prosperous life?
Parent coaching, in my very humble (and unbiased!) opinion, is an invaluable investment. Working with a coach to help you to understand your triggers, to identify where the trouble spots are in your relationship with your child, and to help you find ways to more authentically connect with him/her can pay dividends far longer than that big-screen tv or that latte.
Can’t see the forest for the trees
You’ve heard this saying, right? And you’ve probably experienced it too. When you are having a struggle with your child and there is a pattern but because you are so close to the situation, you can’t see it? Most likely there is a way out of the struggle but that, too can be hard to see without the help of a caring, neutral guide.
So why do we hesitate to hire a parent coach?
If this is such a good investment, why do many of us hesitate to commit to parent coaching? There is still a stigma in our society about asking for help when we need it. It can be difficult to admit when we are in over our heads, are struggling with our kids, and don’t know what to do to make it better. We are supposed to know how to do this whole parenting thing, right? But the truth is that our children are not sent home from the hospital with a handy little instruction manual. Sometimes we need someone to help us get out of a challenging situation or to break old, destructive patterns and build new, healthy ones in their place.
My job as a parent coach is so rewarding and fulfilling. Taking a parent from feeling stressed, miserable and hopeless about their home situation to relaxed, joyful and hopeful in their relationship with their child such a blessing that I wake up every day excited to get started. If you have been wondering if parent coaching would be a good option for you, reach out to me. I’d love to talk to you about it!
