The idea of hiring a parenting coach leaves many parents with some mixed emotions. On one hand, they are an expert in childcare, on the other you are an expert in your child. And shouldn’t parenting be instinctual and natural? After all you grew that child, and raised them to the point they are now.

But that sentiment doesn’t always stand. Some children are really challenging. It doesn’t mean they are bad, it doesn’t mean you are a bad parent, it just is. I’ve joked before that certain children are like ‘two good kids in one body’ because they are high energy, incredibly intelligent, and overall great kids, but challenging to care for.

I believe we have a parenting tool box.

If you were setting out to do some house repairs, chances are you would need a tool box. You would also need a vast set of tools. If you only had a hammer, it would be really hard to use a screw or do plumbing. So you need a collection of tools.

The same thing is true with parenting.

Your parenting toolbox should be filled with every tool you can put in there. Your intuition is a tool. The books, blogs, and personal experience you have gained are all tools. A parenting coach is just another tool. You might not need every tool for every job, but having more tools than you need is far from a problem. Whereas not having the right tool, makes the job impossible.

Now I understand that parenting places us in this incredibly vulnerable place. We want the absolute best for our children, and it can be close to impossible to admit that we want or need help.

So if this sounds like you, don’t tell anyone if you hire a coach. Just do it in secret, and then whip out your amazing new skills.

Do a phone consult, and see if the coach will give you advice over the phone for a nominal fee.

But don’t let your emotions keep you from adding to your tool box and being the absolute best parent you can be.