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Having the privilege of spending time with Greg, Lynn and their children and knowing them well, I have seen the principles of Pro-Active Parent Coaching at work first hand in their family. Through everyday life, to major decisions faced together, the practices of Pro-Active Parent Coaching are fundamental to the healthy dynamic they enjoy.
Greg’s passion for healthy relationships within the family is the heartbeat behind his practical approach and real life examples. I highly recommend ‘Pro-Active Parent Coaching: Capturing the Heart of Your Child’ for parents of all ages who desire to have a close and lasting relationship with their children; Who want to be an active part of seeing their children/youth, journey into responsible adulthood and embrace the destiny God has for them.
This is the book I have been looking for. It is clearly written and includes stories and coaching conversations that the author had with his children. It has reflection questions for parents in each chapter and practical exercises to immediately apply the concepts of that chapter. It has a simple parent coaching model that the author unpacks as you move through the book. It is not just a self-improvement book on parenting. It is a workbook for parents who want to be intentional in helping their child grow to become a mature, responsible adult.
I am a life coach and offer training on how to use coaching skills. Now I am training parents on how to use a coach approach with their teenagers. This is the book we will use for our next workshop.
I wish I had this book when my children were young. Now I am using this approach with my 4 teenage grandchildren.
I’ve been looking forward to the publishing of this book for years (and actively prodded Greg to write it!), because I believe the application of coaching to parenting will lead to an enormous breakthrough in our ability to raise world-changing sons and daughters. We know how to care for babies; we know how to mentor and instruct young children, but so often parents are at a total loss for what to do with their teens. We’re aware we should be preparing them to live on their own as adults, but there is nothing in our parenting toolkit that seems to fit the task. Coaching fills that void, because it gives us practical handles on how to give kids responsibility (which is the only way they’ll really learn to handle it) while still influencing them.
The cry of many a teenager’s heart is to be heard, to be believed in, to be trusted. This book shows you how to do that. The anguish of many parents’ hearts is feeling like their kids are becoming more and more distant, and not knowing how to bridge the gap. This book shows you how to love them in a way that they want to receive, while at the same time helping them be more responsible and not less. I don’t know a better way to build a truly interdependent relationship with those you parent.
Greg has taken coaching concepts that I stumbled around implementing in my own family and gone much farther with them than I ever could. And after coaching him for several years, I can vouch that this comes out of his life. I am amazed by the faith journey his family is on, and by how he and Lynn have empowered their kids in the midst of it.
By offering a simple coaching model and beautifully illustrating how to use it with real-life dialogs, this book makes parent coaching something anyone can do. It works with kids of any age—in fact, starting early like we did in our home is the best way to implement it.
But while the concepts here are simple, changing the way you parent isn’t always easily. Something as rudimentary as asking open questions may require changing the conversational habits of a lifetime. As you try to honor your kids desires and hear their hearts, it will probably bring some of your own junk to the surface.
That’s hard work. But the payoff is enormous. The same relational approach that makes your kids feel honored and believed in will do the same for your husband, your wife, your friends, your coworkers—everyone you know.
Coaching at its heart is a disciplined way of communicating that you believe in people. It’s faith that God is already present, already speaking, already at work in the ones you love. I believed my kids could hear the voice of God, and they rose to it—and eventually their ability to hear had a big influence on my journey. Believing in them and sharing responsibility made them peers and not just kids. That’s a relationship we’ll enjoy for the rest of our lives.
I believe Jesus’ church can be the world leaders in bringing coaching to the parenting arena. We can be the model everyone turns to for consistently producing healthy, secure, interdependent kids who still love to hang out with their parents even when they’re in High School. And I believe this book can be a big part of making that happen.
Tony Stoltzfus
Master Coach Trainer, author of Leadership Coaching and Coaching Questions
Discover in Part 1 an exploration of how the heart, skills, and disciplines of coaching naturally aligns with parenting, positioning parents as natural coaches for their children. ‘Pro-Active Parent Coaching’ introduces a unique coaching model designed to empower parents in fostering deep understanding and connection with their child, while also nurturing the development of their decision making abilities and rising up to carry and grow in responsibility.
Through authentic personal narratives and real-life conversations, readers gain an understanding of how the Parent Coaching Model operates and discover actionable approaches to incorporate it into their own parenting experiences.
Part 2 of the book delves into the essential elements of fostering understanding within parent-child relationships. It highlights the significance of establishing meaningful connections, mastering the art of asking questions that naturally stimulate deeper conversations, engaging in authentic listening, and ensuring clarity in communication to enhance mutual understanding.
Through vivid real-life anecdotes and dialogues, readers are guided towards practical techniques and insights aimed at enriching their relationships within their own family.
Part 3 of the book, Supporting Growth, builds upon the conversational framework introduced earlier. This stage integrates additional coaching components such as Exploring Possibilities, Assessing Desire, Securing Commitment, and Encouraging Progress.
These elements collectively foster natural accountability as your child, assumes more responsibility for their personal development and growth in responsibility.
By integrating these elements into the coaching process, a natural sense of accountability is cultivated within the child. They learn to take ownership of their development, make informed decisions, and persist in the face of challenges. Ultimately, this approach empowers the child to become more self-aware, resilient, and proactive in pursuing their goals.
Gregory is an
ICF Certified Coach
Certified Birkman Method Consultant
Prepare Enrich Facilitator
Marriage Mentor