I absolutely love being a parent coach! My work has given me both deep professional satisfaction and tremendous gratitude for the opportunity to support moms and dads as they manage the unique challenges and celebrate the many joys of modern-day parenting.
That’s why in the fall of 2020 after 5 years of successful practice as a parent coach, I began investigating parent-coaching certification programs that were aligned with my own approach of intentional, values-based parenting. Not only was it important to add to the gravitas of the work itself, I wanted to distinguish myself as a professional in the field. Plus, because I value continuing education, I wanted to deepen my existing theoretical knowledge and learn research-based practical skills so I could be even more effective.
Everyone knows what “play” is -- right? It’s peek-a-boo with baby…hide-and-seek with toddlers…tag among school-agers…a teenage pick-up game of basketball…or your family’s favorite board game on game night.
All true. Yet from a developmental standpoint, what may seem like fun of little consequence actually plays a crucial role in many aspects of child development, including social-emotional, motor, cognitive, language, self-regulation, enhanced sense of agency and executive function. Best yet, the developmental benefits of play compound as children age.
Family – at least the construct traditionally defined as two opposite-sex parents and their biological children – was considered the norm (and by extension, the “best” for kids) for most of the last century. But no longer.
The notion of family has moved away from rigid structures and defined roles, morphing and expanding significantly. From step to extended, blended to adoptive, gay to single, multi-cultural to co-parent…what makes a family the best one for children is one in which there is the greatest amount of three vital ingredients: love, safety and acceptance.
