Mealtimes used to feel like agonising battles for Mdm Lee. Her boisterous six-year-old daughter simply would not sit down to finish her meal or listen to other simple instructions. To make matters worse, her daughter also had the habit of bullying her younger sibling.

Often, Mdm Lee’s struggles with her daughter would escalate into shouting matches and physical measures, something she would always later regret after the showdown. Mdm Lee grew increasingly helpless as every parenting method she used did not seem to work. Emotional stress snowballed, and her relationship with her young daughter deteriorated with repeated conflict.

The turning point came when Mdm Lee decided to seek professional help through a Triple P parenting coach at Fei Yue. After just 4 sessions, Mdm Lee picked up effective tips to deal with her parenting challenges.  For example, she learnt how to be calm when interacting with her daughter. This provided her with a clear mind to deal with each situation. She also became more conscious of how her actions and words influenced her children’s behaviour.

Other practical parenting methods, such as setting up house rules and implementing quiet time-out sessions, also helped Mdm Lee to set consistent expectations for her daughter. Gradually, Mdm Lee began to understand the roots of her daughter’s misbehaviour and learnt to spend more time to meet her needs.

Importantly, Mdm Lee’s husband also sat in the counselling sessions. This way, they could better understand and support each other, when disciplining their daughter or aligning their efforts to build a better relationship with her.

Reaching out to a parenting coach may seem a daunting step to some, but Mdm Lee assures there’s little to fear. The sessions provided her a safe environment to be heard and gave her a peek into her own emotions and issues. She learnt that her situation was not as dire as she thought, and could be improved with help.

 As Mdm Lee puts it: “Do not be afraid to seek help when you feel helpless. The trained counsellors are very patient and will give you an unbiased assessment. As you open up to share, you are also processing your thoughts and learning new things about yourself and your child.”

Testimonial of Mdm Lee, parent of child from St Anthony Primary School.

Contact Fei Yue Parenting Support Services at [email protected] for a free consultation.