Apparently more and more of us are willing to pay $75 and up to have someone tell us how to raise our kids.
This Newsweek item, which comes a few weeks after this story ran in The Washington Post, notes that parent coaches have become more common, as moms and dads often seek outside counsel on how to handle child-rearing dilemmas. Why is this becoming a trend? Among other reasons, because many families don't live near relatives and can't call on them for help. Or because, as one mom says, friends are so competitive about parenting that they can't turn to each other for objective advice.
There's also another factor, which the Post piece alludes to but the Newsweek one glosses over: It's because parents are so busy. If you have two full-time working parents and multiple children, then you don't have time to do the research required to figure out how to get Dylan to eat his green beans. It's easier to throw some green money at someone and have them solve the problem for you.
Am I sounding like Queen Negative, Her Royal Highness of Cynicism? Maybe it's because I'm a little skeptical of the whole coach concept. Whenever someone says he has a life coach, I always picture him being followed around by some guy who keeps yelling, "Live! Live! Live! Rah! Rah! Rah!" I know, I know, life coaches and parent coaches can be invaluable, as worthwhile as a good therapist. Stil, It's hard for me not to wonder why we have invented these professions when, a decade ago, they didn't need to exist.
Our parents raised us without calling in any consultants. And we Gen Xers turned out okay, didn't we?
On the other hand, I understand the mom in the Post article who sought a professional to help her son, who suffers from acid reflux, sleep for longer than two hours. In those situations, sometimes you really do need someone other than the pediatrician, your best friend or your mother-in-law to put you on the right path. It's a question of knowing when you need the help and when you're just being lazy.
Anna Kuchment, the author of the Newsweek piece, said she had a great experience with a parent coach. The "small amount of validation made the visit worthwhile," she says. She also notes that the "supernanny" outlined a detailed plan designed to prevent her daughter from having temper tantrums when Dad wants to put her to bed instead of Mom. But, Kuchment says, she has "yet to muster the courage to try this."
And there's yet another problem: If you can't get up the gumption to do what Coach says, seems like you're destined to lose the game. Or at least $75.
