At the time that I called Katherine I was aware that the general balance of control was off with my 3-year-old son, Gus. Whilst everyone else would have said it was just ‘typical toddler tantrums’ I felt helpless and uncomfortable with his constant demands, limit-pushing and whinging. I was constantly on top of him with my nagging and increasingly short temper and had lost all confidence in what to do. All of the books I’d read suggested I should be ‘hugging out’ his tantrums, which I had tried with no positive effect.
“Katherine has an incredibly unique eye…”
What Katherine was able to show me remarkably quickly is that rather than disciplining Gus (which I thought we were), we were appeasing/firefighting/negotiating with him. Katherine has an incredibly unique eye for how children are constantly vying for control in a way I believe you cannot see from a parental view. She was able to expose the (totally unseen) tactics both ourselves and Gus were repeatedly using in a battle for control.
Her ability to be objective is something you simply can’t get from friends and family and her knowledge about how to make a lasting change is something you can’t find on any bookshelf today.
The days that Katherine stayed with us were the most eye-opening I have ever had into what real parenting should look like and having her to turn to for constant support and validation (both during her stay and long after) as we embarked on change is the only thing that enabled us to see it all the way through.
“She has given me my confidence back…”
For anyone considering whether they should work with Katherine, it is an absolute no-brainer; I have never come across advice as sound as hers. For anyone delaying the decision, our experience showed us the problem would have only gotten worse if we hadn’t taken action when we did.
For us, the financial investment became negligible when set against the happiness and balance she has restored to us all.
And she has most certainly given me my confidence back and a refreshed sense of identity as a parent, which is invaluable. She was an absolute pleasure to get to know and have in our home and I can’t emphasise enough just how personable she is, or the value of her expertise. I feel extremely blessed she came to stay!
