#67 - Proactive Parenting with Maria Sanders, Parent Coach

In this episode of A Dad's Path podcast, Will Braunstein interviews Maria Sanders, a licensed social worker, and PCI-certified parent coach. Maria explains how she helps dadss navigate parenting challenges and emphasizes the importance of advocating for oneself and communicating with one's partner to establish a sense of partnership and shared goals.  She also highlights the importance of giving yourself and your child time to cool off before having a healthy conversation and what to do in a situation that requires immediate attention (e.g., one child is hitting another)  Maria also talks about some of the challenges she sees in relationships and encourages dads to move away from the perspective of "I am right, and he/she is wrong." Other highlights of our conversation include: 1. Some ideas for finding the balance between work and family. 2. How to help parents feel good about their interactions with their children. 3. The importance of advocating for yourself and communicating with your partner to establish a sense of partnership and shared goals. 4. The importance of a safe space for couples to talk so you can work together to find solutions and openly communicate. 5. Be curious, not furious: Instead of getting angry, stay calm and bring in curiosity 6. The importance of taking a pause and asking yourself, "I wonder what could be going on here?" 7. Instead of just reacting to problems, look for patterns and try to understand the root cause