top of page
leaf-background.png

PARENT COACHING

Being a Mother is Damn Hard

 

Raising children is a lonely, relentless and near impossible job. 

 

We never know if we are doing it right and worry endlessly and constantly that we are f*cking it up.

 

The needs of our children and the pressures of society place too many demands on us while offering little to no resources to help.

 

It was never supposed to be like this. 

 

It Doesn't Have To Be

​

Hi, I'm Candace Grahl, a licensed therapist and certified parent coach. 

I work with burnt-out parents to help them have fulfilling relationships with their children without the use of threats, yelling or punishment.

 

When I become a parent, I'm going to do it differently.

 

Regardless of how we arrived at parenthood, most of us decide that we want to do our very best. We research the best cribs, read the latest books, and strike up endless conversations with other parents to pick their brains in case we are missing something. There is so much good intention involved.

 

Then, things get hard. Really hard. 

 

She won't sleep in her own bed.

​

He refuses to stop biting other children on the playground.

 

She lies to you about doing her homework. 

 

He keeps getting sent to the principal's office and you can't even get mad because at home, you can't get him to sit still, finish a task, or concentrate on anything.

 

You want to take away the devices and create an eccentric and quite frankly, confusing behavior chart. 

 

Your partner wants to yell and spank. 

 

Both of you, desperate for things to change and since you can't seem to change your child, begin to turn on each other, adding even more stress to an already strained environment.

 

Then, somehow, things get even harder.

 

She has daily, if not hourly, emotional outbursts that seem to ruin any family function you attend.

 

He has become more withdrawn, and doesn't want to spend time with his friends.

 

She has been sneaking out.

 

You're convinced he won't even graduate high school. 

 

Oh God...am I fucking this all up?

 

The older and more independent they got, they were supposed to get easier, right? Instead, somehow, things got so complicated. And now you are running out of time. The fear and anxiety kicks in because despite your very best efforts, it's still not working. It's time to double-down because letting go is not an option -- they need more rules, more threats, more punishment. The world is not kind and they must be ready and it's my job to make them ready, and yet...Oh God, I don't really know what to do.

 

No matter what your relationship with your child looks like now, it's never too late to turn things around. 

 

What would it be like to imagine your relationship with your child 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30....?

 

If I could promise you that your child will be fine, and they will find themselves in a life they love and are happy with, what kind of relationship would you want with them then?

 

Would they call you when their marriage is in trouble, they lose a job, or life has thrown them a curve ball and they just don't know what to do?

 

Would they visit often, nurture the relationship between you and their children, and make space for you in their family?

 

Will they desire a relationship with you because they know, no matter, you are always FOR them, and not against them?

 

If this is the goal, then building this relationship starts right now.

 

I know what you're thinking.

But how? They're difficult, and bull-headed, and overall just assholes? 

 

I get it. I, too, was a parent who was sick of having to choose rules over relationship with my teens. All I wanted was to have a connected relationship with them, but it seemed the fights, losing my temper, threats and punishments won out every single day. No matter how many times I promised myself I wouldn't yell or lose it anymore, there I was, red-faced and screaming at my kid, falling into the same trap again. It wasn't until I decided to do something different -- radical, even -- that changed everything for my family.

 

I am passionate about this work because I know it works.

 

What if you were focusing on the wrong things? 

 

What if you could have a child that is confident, resourced, cooperative AND a supportive, healthy, connected relationship with them?

 

What if the answer was less rules and more freedom? Less screaming and fighting, and more connection and more collaboration?

 

What if you were your child's greatest teacher and support, and less their constant enemy?

 

What teens need more of is less correction, and more connection. 

 

If you don't know what that means, don't worry -- you've come to the right place.

 

Hi, I'm Candace Grahl, a licensed therapist and certified parent coach. I work with burnt-out parents to help them have fulfilling relationships with their children without the use of threats, yelling or punishment.

 

Together we will identify your current struggles and barriers to connection with your child while clarifying what your goals are for your relationship. You will begin to unlock your unique strengths as a parent (because you do have them, and they are beautiful and brilliant, and your child needs you to step into them), while also finding the tools and resources needed to guide your child, and have more fulfilling relationships with your family. 

 

I cannot guarantee this will be easy. But I do promise you it will be worth it. And I will be with you every step of the way.

 

You are not alone in this. Let's do this together.

bottom of page