Kayla’s son Jordan* was exhibiting extremely disruptive behavior at school. His behavior had become so severe that Kayla was forced to remove him from kindergarten. Jordan was only 5-years-old at the time and his mother was desperate for improvement in his behavior and peace in their lives.

“Kayla initially came in due to the disruptive and sometimes physically aggressive behavior the child had at school and was now having at home,” Shawn, Kayla’s Parent Connext™ Parenting Specialist said. Kayla was a single mom struggling with her own anxiety and depression and she and Jordan were living with her parents. Because of her busy work schedule, Jordan was spending much of his time with his grandparents whose parenting philosophies did not necessarily align with Kayla’s. She was determined to improve her family’s situation and become a better mother to her son. Kayla sought help at her pediatrician’s office.

Kayla’s pediatrician completed an initial assessment and determined Parent Connext™ may be a good solution for her. Kayla was connected with Shawn that same day. “Kayla had great parenting instincts but did not trust herself,” Shawn said. Shawn first focused on identifying Kayla’s strengths. This would provide a solid foundation on which to build. “We identified her strengths of patience, fairness, bravery, prudence, judgment, love, and listening,” Shawn said. With these Natural Strength Parenting™ tools in place Kayla was equipped to begin having powerful, necessary conversations with her son, her parents, and Jordan’s school.

Kayla’s primary concern at home was a lack of structure provided for Jordan by her parents while she was working. With Jordan no longer being in school, the lack of structure at home was causing him to spiral out of control. Kayla relied on her strengths of bravery and judgment to approach her parents about these issues. Once these conversations occurred, Kayla established trust and understanding with her parents and they suddenly became a team with Jordan’s best interest in focus. Together, they were able to establish a daily routine for Jordan. This had an immediate, positive effect on his behavior.

With some visible progress, Kayla pushed for a more unified approach to raising Jordan. She was appreciative of her parent’s help but needed them to understand her desires for their future. “We worked toward empowering Kayla to have the difficult conversation with her parents regarding her parenting philosophy,” Shawn said. Kayla felt her parents undermined her authority which was confusing to Jordan. By having this conversation with her parents, they became closely aligned in their parenting approach. Together they began setting limits for Jordan and following through with the agreed upon consequences for negative behaviors.

Jordan’s improvement and the new-found serenity at home inspired Kayla to explore self- care and address her own mental health issues.

Kayla is now in individual therapy and Jordan has returned to school. Kayla established a proactive working relationship with Jordan’s teacher and they communicate regularly. Through her own desire to find effective solutions for herself and Jordan, Kayla found her strengths and set herself on the path to be the best parent she could be for Jordan. Natural Strength Parenting™ provided the tools she needed to initiate real change in her environment and strengthen her family.

Jordan has returned to school and has been incident free since his return.

Help moms like Kayla by supporting Beech Acres Parenting Center today!