When parents decide to have a child, there are a plethora of books and websites to support you with child rearing issues like changing diapers, feeding, and setting up the right environment. But when that child reaches adolescence, there is not much left for them to draw from to support them along this problematic time in a young persons life. Many parents are ill equipped to help their child enter the real world and start tackling bigger tasks which is why some families are calling upon the help of a teen life coach.
Like most life coaches, one who works with teenagers help them to identify specific goals they want to work on and then support them along this path. This can be of great assistance to many parents especially when both are working and don’t have the time to guide their teen when taking on bigger tasks.
Very often, kids complain about their parents constantly nagging at them or hovering over their shoulder because they themselves have not taken the time to properly empower their child to do things on their own. When this happens, it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety within the family household where a lot of conflict arises. This is why some parents are looking to a teen life coach who can aide and assist them during these times to ensure a smoother transition into adulthood.
Counseling vs Life Coaching
It is important to understand that there is a big difference between counseling and life coaching when it comes to getting help for your teen. Very often when parents are struggling with their child’s poor behavior, then you could call on a counselor or therapist. But working with a teen life coach is much different. The simplest way to understand the difference is in this way: A counselor focuses on issues dealing with the past while a life coach focuses on the future. One is reactive while the other is proactive.
Sadly, some parents only seek out help when something is wrong with their child and this is where therapy or counseling can come into play. But when it comes to life coaching, this approach is more about helping your teenager to learn life skills so that when they turn 18, they are better equipped to handle the many obstacles and challenges they will be facing. Ironically, when you present it to a child in this way, they are more open to working with the professional because they are not viewed as something being wrong with them.
How Teen Life Coaches Can Help
There are many ways a teen life coach can help your child succeed in life. Here are three of the main reasons why some parents are seeking their support:
Self Motivated
One of the biggest challenges parents face is getting their kids to do things for themselves. Ask any child what one of their biggest pet peeves are and they will quickly tell you it has to do with being nagged by their parents.
Ironically, parents don’t want to be nagging either. They don’t want to have to chase their child around to do the things they are supposed to do. A life coach can help with this problem because they are trained to help light a fire under the teenager so that they become more self motivated and driven.
Communication Skills
Parents know all too well that their child does not do the best job in communicating their emotions and expressing themselves in a healthy and constructive way. When this happens, communication lines can break down in a household where conflict can arise.
Unfortunately because parents are so busy with work and errands, they themselves are not doing a great job in leading this cause. When a parent is dealing with stress from work, preparing food, and doing chores at home, it can be quite challenging to take the time and teach their child how to express their needs or concerns in a healthy way.
By bring in a life coach, they can take the time necessary to teach your child how to clearly understand what they want to say in a way that is productive and beneficial for all parties involved. Teenagers mean well and have good intentions, they just don’t have the tools to say what they need to.
Problem Solving
Life is filled with many obstacles and problems and teenagers will be facing many of them on a regular basis. As they get older, they are going to have to learn how to start addressing these issues on their own without your help.
Unfortunately, over many years of parenting, this skill has not been developed properly because most of the time they have relied on their parents to take care of issues when they come up. By having a teen life coach, he or she can teach your child to become more proactive so that they can address these things on their own without looking to you to solve their problems.
Resources
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/benefits-of-therapy-life-coaching_n_567ac127e4b0b958f658d53a
https://parentingteenagersacademy.com/life-coaching/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_help_teens_feel_good_about_themselves
https://chopra.com/articles/4-benefits-of-having-a-life-coach
https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/teenagers/you-and-your-teen/what-your-teenager-needs/