‘What do you want?’
I asked my parent friend.
Her answer is about children, elderly parents, schedule, tasks, budget and future goals for others. Tuned to the needs of others, the YOU in the question gets lost.
She’s the primary parent. Primary parents (in my experience) are much more likely to be mothers. They carry the invisible load, the endless invisible tasks that are only noticed when not done.
I modify.
‘What do you want for yourself that’s within your control?’
It provokes a different thought. Often, for many, a blank wall.
No thoughts or ideas come up.
‘I haven’t been asked that before.…
I haven’t been asked that in a really long time’.
Something as simple as asking the right question shifts from unhelpful thinking to a new point of view.
That’s coaching.
It’s as simple and as straightforward as that.
contact kathy@connectedcoaching.ie
It’s that easy.
#parentingishard #parentingsupport #parentyourselffirst #progressnotperfection #connectedcoachingireland