Parent Coaching Blog

Most parents talk a lot . We explain. We correct. We try to help our children “see the bigger picture.” And it usually comes from love. But often, what a child actually needs in those moments isn’t more words—it’s more presence. Listening sounds easy. In real life, it can be one of the most challenging practices in parenting, especially when emotions are high and your own nervous system is activated.Most parents talk a lot. We explain. We correct. We try to help our children “see the bigger picture.” And it usually comes from love. But often, what a child actually needs in those moments isn’t more words—it’s more presence. Listening sounds easy. In real life, it can be one of the most challenging practices in parenting, especially when emotions are high and your own nervous system is activated.

Most of us were raised to believe that good parenting looks like fixing. Answering quickly. Smoothing things over. Offering the “right” solution before the feelings get too big. And it makes sense. When our children struggle, our nervous system wants relief, like… yesterday. So we reach for advice, logic, or reassurance, hoping it will make the discomfort disappear. But here’s the quieter truth we see again and again in our work at Jai: Growth doesn’t come from being rescued. It comes from being accompanied. When a child wrestles with a problem, whether it’s social, emotional, or internal, they’re not failing. They’re practicing. They’re learning: How to tolerate frustration How to hear their own inner voice How to trust themselves under pressure What they need most in those moments isn’t a plan. It is presence.

Explore practical ways therapists and mental health professionals can incorporate parent coaching methods into therapy or standalone services.