Raising children is one of life’s greatest rewards and challenges. Balancing careers, relationships, and personal health while prioritizing family needs can feel overwhelming. Modern parents often ask: How can we raise independent, successful children without overparenting? How do we maintain our identity while meeting our children’s needs? At The Midtown Practice, we offer expert parent coaching to help you navigate these challenges and enhance your family’s well-being.

The consistent fact about parenting is that there is no single correct way to raise a child. Every child is different, and nurturing depends on their unique needs. However, there are foundational concepts to lean on when questioning decisions and worrying about potential mistakes. At The Midtown Practice, we offer parent coaching to help you navigate and support you through your most challenging parenting moments.

How Your Childhood Affects Your Parenting

At The Midtown Practice, our clinicians work with you to understand why certain aspects of parenting might be especially difficult. Experiences with our children can sometimes trigger personal pain or trauma from our own upbringing. We get to know your children and family through your perspective. Together, we reflect on challenging times, identify patterns, and determine if there is a connection with your past. We also help resolve potential sticking points between you and your partner in the most effective and healthy way.

Understanding Parenting Styles

Developmental psychologists have identified four general parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Understanding these styles can help you recognize your own tendencies and make informed adjustments:

• Authoritarian: Focused on obedience, using punishment over discipline. Children may follow rules but risk low self-esteem and poor decision-making skills.
• Permissive: Acts more like a friend, with inconsistent consequences. Children may struggle academically and suffer from low self-esteem.
• Uninvolved: Offers little guidance or nurturing. Children often struggle academically and exhibit behavioral problems.
• Authoritative: Balances positive relationships with enforcing rules and consequences. Children tend to be happier, more successful, and better at decision-making.

Most parents do not fit neatly into one category. With dedication, commitment, and support from your therapist at The Midtown Practice, you can identify your common pitfalls and establish healthy parental authority that works for you and your children.

How to Have Difficult Parenting Conversations

The world looks different now than it did when many of us were growing up. Children have access to vast amounts of information and are exposed to more than ever before. Discussing difficult topics such as pornography, gender fluency, race, divisive politics, and gun violence has become necessary. At The Midtown Practice, we help you normalize these conversations and speak to your children naturally and comfortably. These foundational talks can create a nonjudgmental relationship, allowing your children to use you as a resource as they navigate uncharted waters.

Learning How to Prioritize

Many parents struggle with prioritizing their children’s needs while working and tending to their own health, marriage, and personal life. Triaging decisions can be isolating and unsatisfying. Being a parent is hard, and you will never be perfect. At The Midtown Practice, we help you navigate life’s complicated juggling act and determine which choices are most important to you. Once you learn to prioritize and tune out others’ judgments, you can feel more at ease and surrender to the imperfect process of raising children. Together, we transform difficult situations into experiences that build resilience and offer opportunities for closeness and personal growth.

Taking the Next Step

If you’re considering parent coaching, contact The Midtown Practice to schedule an appointment. Our team is dedicated to providing the support and guidance you need to navigate parenting challenges and enhance your family’s well-being.