3 reasons why every mom of teenage boys needs a life coach

It’s been almost a year since I became a certified life coach.  Throughout this time I have been coached a lot myself and as I look back over everything that has happened this last year I know without any doubt that even though circumstantially this has probably been the hardest parenting year of my 25 years of parenting, I am the happiest and most at peace that I have ever been in my life.

Even though…

… a son ran away from home a few weeks before Christmas (and we had a trip planned) and this time stayed away for many, many, many months.

… a son got into trouble with the law.

… a son chose to have his name removed from the records of the Church.

So how is it possible to go through all of this (and more!) and still honestly say that I am happy and at peace?!?  How can any mom feel good about herself ~ and her parenting ~ when some (or most) of her children aren’t making the kind of choices she taught them to make?  But the most important question you’re probably asking is… “Can *I* really be happy and have genuine peace in my heart even in my own situation?”

The answer is YES.

There’s nothing super special about me.  I have spent over two decades being the best mom I could be at any given time, failing, trying again, failing some more, still keep trying, and beating myself up for not being perfect enough.

But when I began learning the tools I teach through my life coaching, my whole world changed.  And that’s why I can say with such confidence…

Everyone needs a life coach, a really good one, especially moms of teenage boys.

If you want to see yourself in a way you’ve never noticed before… get yourself a life coach.

If you want to hear the truth, in a loving space, even when it’s hard to hear… get yourself a life coach.

If you want the power to create whatever result you want in your life ~ no matter what your teen is doing… get yourself a life coach.

A really good life coach can change your experience as you learn to navigate the sometimes rocky terrain of parenting teens and young adults.  But don’t take my word for it:

“Kelly will be able to help you transform your relationship with your son so that you are not just ‘getting through’ this difficult time, but so that you can thrive through these experiences.” ~ Catherine M.

“With Kelly’s help I have been able to show up as the mom I want to be and love unconditionally.” ~ Julie B.

“The personal examples she gave helped me understand the principles and skills she taught me; because I could see how they benefited her, I was able to trust that they would make a difference in my life, too.  And they have.” ~ Robyn N.

“I was surprised by the questions she asked and how she was able to draw out my thoughts and help me see what I could really do to improve how I was thinking and feeling about myself as a wife, mother, and person.” ~ Shawna Y.

Every mom of teenage boys needs a life coach.  And if I’m not your life coach, no worries.  But find a really good one.  You’ll never regret working with a life coach; you’ll only kick yourself for not doing it sooner.

To find out if Find Peace in Parenting coaching is right for you, schedule a free mini-session now and see for yourself the power of a coach.  I will coach you on one of your specific problems and give you a tool you can start using immediately.

CLICK HERE to schedule your free mini-session.

Beyond the headline, Part 1

In this day-and-age, where there’s an abundance of information and a seemingly shortage on attention spans, the advice seems to be “shorter is better.”  But just for today, just for this blog, I’m going to throw caution to the wind so I can tell you about my story (Part 2 ~ my next blog ~ will be why I work with Latter-Day Saint women whose sons didn’t serve a mission; be sure to check it out tomorrow!)

My husband and I were foster parents for a while.  As that adventure came to an end I knew I still wanted to add value to the world, to do something meaningful, something that would truly make a difference.  I felt “the call” to become a life coach so I did my research, decided which path to take, and signed up for The Life Coach School training.

There was a few months between the time I signed up and the actual training.  I had planned to use that time to prepare (there were books to read, podcasts to listen to, etc.) but life got in the way and I arrived in California feeling behind but I also arrived with a surety that I was embarking on a life-changing endeavor.  Of course, I thought the lives that would be changed were those of my future clients.  Little did I know what awaited me.

Throughout our intensive, 6-day training we were taught the tools of our trade and also spent a lot of time coaching others and being coached.  One of the foundational parts, what The Life Coach School teaches, is the importance of becoming aware of what it is we’re thinking.  This might seem a little strange.  It did to me at first.  Especially as someone who is much more of a thinker than a feeler, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what was going on in my head.  But it turns out there was a lot more going on up there than I realized.

Over the next few days I began to notice a pattern in my unconscious thoughts, and on the final day it culminated into this realization ~ I truly believed that I was never enough.  I wasn’t enough as a wife, a mother, a daughter, or a sister.  I wasn’t enough as a mother-in-law, friend, or neighbor.  I wasn’t enough in my church calling or in the roles I played or positions I held in the community.  I truly believed (albeit, unconsciously) that I was never enough.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I let this sink in, this belief I had carried with me for so long, that no matter how hard I tried, my best would never be enough.  And this belief wasn’t coming from someone else, it was all me.  Sure, other people may think it about me ~ that’s really neither here nor there.  But the fact that I thought it about myself ~ that’s where the pain came from.

Up to this point I may not have recognized this firmly entrenched belief I carried with me but now I was aware, and now I had a choice to make:  keep believing it, or not.  I chose not.

Instead, I now know that I am enough.  It took me a while to get there, to really believe it, but I do and my life is so different now because I show up differently in all my relationships, in all my responsibilities, in all my interactions.

This is why I do what I do, why I became a life coach ~ to help other people become aware of thoughts and beliefs that are holding them back from living the life they really want to live, no matter their situation.  This new way of thinking and showing up in the world is a gift I gave myself and I plan to spread it far and wide for many, many years!