When Suzanne Shaw had her son, her firstborn daughter, Madison, was predictably jealous.
"There was a lot of tantrums, a lot of time outs, a lot of disconnection," recalls Suzanne.
One day, when Madison threw a sippy cup at her mother in the drivers seat of their moving car, Suzanne decided that was enough. She turned to certified parenting coach Minette Riordan who assessed Suzanne and Madison's very different temperments, then developed a plan to help bridge the gap.
"We found that what Madison was missing was a structure for the day," says Riordan.
Parenting coaches are growing in popularity. Since 2003, Dr. Caron Goode has certified nearly 100 parent coaches out of her Fort Worth-based practice, Academy for Parent Coaches International.
"98 percent of family difficulties is communication oriented," says Goode.
Parent coaches cost about 100 dollars an hour, but Suzanne says you can't put a price tag on the peace and joy it's brought into their house.
"She and I have a relationship now. We talk all the time. There's a connection. There's a bond."
