Parent Coaching Tips for Britney Spears from ACPI certified coaches for parents

People are asking who is a parent coach after California judge ordered Britney Spears to receive eight hours of parent coaching. Parent Coaching is the fastest growing niche of the life coaching business and attracts professionals who want to “make a difference” in the lives of families. Parent coaching is an empowering model for helping parents in making responsible choices and taking appropriate actions.

Who is a parent coach?

“A parent coach is a mentor whose primary role is supporter and connector for parents who want assistance, help, expertise and empowerment and confidence. The first thing a coach does is to model a supportive, loving relationship with their client, who may be a parent, grandparent, caregiver who has hired a coach to help them be a better parent or serve as a more effective guardian or caregiver to children.

“Parent coaches assist, help, inform, inspire, challenge and educate. They provide clarity, reflection, and reality checks for parents to become better problem solvers and models of support for children. Parent coaches guide a parent to make confident choices in structuring behavior and communication. They are responsive and responsible as they provide frameworks around sensitive issues.  A parent coach may serve as a coach for a parent’s personal confidence-building or is mentoring solutions within family relationships and parent/child issues.”

Excerpt from Dr. Caron Goode’s new book, The Art & Science of Parent Coaching

PARENT COACHES OFFER PARENTING TIPS FOR BRITNEY

Learning Self Management Techniques

• When your life and the people in it appear to be out of control, the

• first thing to do is get control of yourself with Full Wave Breathing. You

• thus take charge of 85% of your biochemistry including re-centering

• yourself, calming your emotions and providing oxygen for clearer thinking.

Tom Goode, ND, DD, founder, Academy for Coaching Parents, LLC, is an author and speaker. Visit www.internationalbreathinstitute.com for further information and ideas.

Parents are Examples

Wise parents never forget that children learn by example. Kids are always watching their parents and become expert imitators. Good parenting isn't about controlling a child's behavior; it is about parents controlling their own behavior and setting a good example. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. What kind of tree will your child grow up to be?  

Lisa Greene, ACPI CCP, co-author Parenting Children with Health Issues

Growing Healthy Families and Happy Hearts www.happyheartfamilies.com and www.parentingchildrenwithhealthissues.com

Determine Your Parenting Image

First, spend some quiet time to decide what is most important to you as a parent.  Tune out the media, the publicists, and the lawyers. Tune out everything except for your heart.  With your parent coach, make lists of

• How you would see yourself as a mother? What is your internal image of a nurturing mother?

• What stands in the way of achieving the kind of role as a mother you desire.  

Once you know what is important as "only" a Mother, then address with your parent coach your readiness to change.  Begin the process of working to make those heart-centered and healthy behaviors a reality.

Jinger Jones Sellinger, ACPI CCP
Florida
CoachJingerJS@aol.com

Clarify Your Parenting Values

As a parent coach, I would help Britney to prioritize her life by clarifying her values. Then I would help her restructure her value system. I would stress that her number one, only priority is her children. I would challenge her to make their care her only goal.

Nancy Schiff, ACPI CCP
New York
njschiff@gmail.com

Reconnecting to Young Children

Britney, with your young children, I would suggest prioritized and scheduled time alone with the children in a peaceful setting, reading, or painting or playing outdoors.  Dance or just move to child-appropriate music.  To further develop a deeper connection to her young children, I suggest this book, Connection Parenting, by Pam Leo.

Wendy Martin, ACPI CCP
www.tinkerstoffee.com
Northern Virginia

Go With the Flow; Don’t Control

As working Moms, we live a very busy and hectic life and this includes celebrities. You have a job just like anyone else, but this doesn't mean we shouldn't pause in what we are doing in order to let your child stop to smell the flowers.  There is a message in that for us.  Our children know us best and sometimes their wisdom about how we spend time together goes beyond their years.

I don't mean you should let your children run wild in the streets, but to allow them to explore with you along the way to the park or in the shopping mall or at the grocery store.  You will be surprised at what they notice that you never did before; therein lies the treasure. If you find yourself controlling your child in whatever scenario then perhaps, it is time for you to stop to smell the flowers.

Jenny Dupas, ACPI CCP
Winnipeg, Canada
mdupas1@mts.net

Modeling for Your Children

Children model 95% of what they see in the adult they are closest to.  Make sure you are modeling the behavior you want your child to exhibit.

Talk to your child the way you would talk to a friend and establish value in your personal relationship.

Tara Paterson, ACPI CCP
Northern Virginia
tara@justformom.com
www.justformom.com/parentcoach

Finding the Big WHY in Your Parenting

Britney, Here are my coaching questions for you to ponder:

• What is your sense of parenting purpose right now?

• How and where do you see your children in 10, 15, and 20 years from now?  

• How do you envision helping them get  to where they want to be?

Depending on your responses, I would then personalize mental exercises to help you accomplish your goals and be accountable to a parent coach who can support you. I feel it is important for you to separate your wants from your needs.  

 
Becky Kapsalis, ACPI CCP
Indiana
askyiayia@indy.rr.com