How naïve was I to think reading a few self help books and watching a couple of pep talk videos was going to prepare me for parenthood. Sitting on the sofa, rubbing my 9 month pregnant belly and telling myself that I was going to be this awesome mother who had her child finishing all the greens off her plate, shunning away any screen time devices and not having a sight of a ridiculous and an unnecessary tantrum at the mall. I was wrong! It happens to us all, I know now. And it doesn’t get any easier. With each developmental stage of my daughter, I found myself downloading more and more apps on my phone to make sense of our new roles, and spending long minutes on the phone to my mum, begging for a parenting hack.
However, the thing is I’ve only come to realise now that with age and each developmental stage, comes a different set of challenges for the parents. I’ve become aware that as my child grows, I too will need to arm myself with information and knowledge on how to deal with issues such as bullying, body confidence and all things that come with the teenage years. And I know no late night scrolling on the internet or chat with other mums is really going to help me find a solution, because at the end of the day, each and every child is different, and so is each parent-child relationship.
If you’re already at the stage where as a parent you feel like you are in a constant battle with your child, you hear ‘’No’’ more often from your child than a happy ‘’Yes’’, you struggle with focused routines or just want to stop bribing him/her for getting things done around the house, I have a solution for you. Sometimes, all you need is one person to be the bridge between you and your child, and Irini is here to help you.
Thanks to Social media, I’ve had the pleasure to e-meet Irini Girgis, a Child Behavioural and Parental coach of ‘Kids Summit’ offering first hand personalised services for a healthy parent –child relationship, with tools and techniques to overcome your child’s challenges. Read below to find out more about her one-to-one coaching service and how to avail a free first consultation session.
- Hi Irini, can you tell us a little bit about yourself
I am Irini Girgis, the founder of Kids Summit, a Child Behavioural and Parental Coach. I too am a mother and blessed to have a son aged 18 and a daughter aged 16. I am originally from Egypt, but have been living in USA. Only in 2005, we moved to Dubai and ever since then have called tihis place home. I have worked as a primary teacher in well established international schools here in Dubai. I also have a Child Psychology Diploma from Brentwood University, UK, coupled with Neuro-Education courses.
What led to the beginning of ‘Kids Summit’ and what is it about?
As a mother, I experienced the enjoyable aspects of the unparalleled journey of parenthood, as well as the hands on challenges. Throughout the parenting years and my ongoing experience as a teacher, I have believed that every child’s needs should be looked at from a holistic perspective. Understanding the root cause of some of the challenges the children face and helping them, and their parents overcome it became my purpose. While medical cases have plenty of help and support, behavioural difficulties are often mislabelled, ignored or left for many inexperienced parents to deal with. My core belief is that parenting is just like an exciting mountain hike, full of challenges but in the end, the magnificent views from the top are well worth the effort. Kids Summit is here to help your children overcome all obstacles to reach the top, to reach the summit. The one-to-one service is open for parents and children from 2 up to 16 years of age.
- Why should parents be reaching out to you and Kids Summit?
If you are parents who:
-Are struggling to find practical techniques to overcome their children’s challenges
-Have been investing time and effort in raising their children but are not seeing much results
-Get enthusiastic about trying new parenting techniques but do not follow through
-Have been attending group sessions but are not able to implement what you hear
-Have found online searching, parental sessions and group talks helpful, but cannot find personal advice.
If you have agreed to any of the above, then Kids Summit could be greatly beneficial for you.
- Can you give us an idea about what happens in your ideal coaching sessions?
I first meet with the parents to get an overview of the challenges that they are facing and what their goals are. Then I meet with them and their child to discuss some common targets for everyone to work towards. Finally I meet with the child separately to give him/her ownership of his/her behaviour/attitude and come up with a plan, that s/he has an input in. If need be, I may also involve the school with the behavioural management plan. I meet regularly with the child and the parents to align all parties to be on the same track. With everyone on board and working towards the same end result or goal is the only way to move forward and see positive changes.
- What’s the most challenging part of your one-on-one coaching sessions?
The challenging part has to be the parents. It is parents looking for quick fixes and fast results, and giving up when they don’t see them. Often, I find parents unable to be patient and see the long term effects of their actions which leads to them either unlearning everything taught at the coaching session or continuing with wrong techniques.
- What makes ‘Kids Summit’ unique to other Parental coaching sessions?
1- There is plenty of professional help offered to medically diagnosed children with challenges but very little for those kids struggling without a “label” to their behaviour. Kids Summit fills this gap and works with all such kids to achieve a tangible change in their learning and behavioural attitudes.
2- Because effective change stems from kids taking full ownership of their behaviours, I offer intensive coaching to the children on their own, alongside coaching parents.
3- With an understanding that “one size does not fit all,” Kids Summit offers personalised techniques for both children and parents that match the child’s needs and the parents’ parenting style, with close frequent follow-ups.
- Nothing must be more fulfilling than seeing happy parents armed with the right knowledge and a healthy parent-child relationship. Has there been any experience that has been most memorable and stood out the most.
There are few experiences, but my special are:
I was coaching a teenager and his parents, especially the mother. Life between them was a nightmare (as per the mother’s expression). After 4 sessions with the boy and 4 sessions with the mother, she called me to say that the techniques I gave her had made her a much happier mom and she started enjoying being a mother of a teenager. That despite the challenging age, she was now more aware of how to deal with such challenges. The boy too kept in touch with me, when he needed guidance about some challenging situations, either at home or in school.
There is also another occasion with an 8 year old boy whose parents were complaining from his aggressiveness, refusal to complete any task including his homework, complaints from teachers about his lack of interest in school and unwillingness to participate in any class discussions or activities. After talking to the boy, I found out that the root of all the issues with the bullying that he was suffering from in school, leading to lack of self confidence. As a result, he decided to stop trying to participate or do anything as his work never seemed good enough. After contacting the school, I guided all parties (home and school) to focus on building the boy’s self confidence. I also worked with the boy into building his self confidence and trusting his abilities. In three weeks time, he was able to put his name down for the Student Council elections and present himself in different classes among the grade, full of confidence. Now that was a proud moment for myself.
- As an expert, if you could briefly list three techniques that can help parents connect better with their child, what would they be?
1- Understand that your child is unique and should not be compared to others or to yourself.
2- Choose wisely what you let go and what you insist on.
3- Help your child do the right choice because s/he wants to do the right thing, not because s/he wants to get a gift/treat.
- Where would you like to see Kids Summit reach in 5 years’ time?
I would like to see Kids Summit widely used by a variety of parents and also referred to by the schools as I find it very important to work side by side with the school, where children spend most of their day in. I would also like to be interacting with different communities of parents who are looking for practical hands-on techniques and are willing to put some effort in their parenting journey.
- For parents who wish to get in touch with you, where can they find more information?
You can contact me via:
Phone/Whatsapp: +971502126056
Use the Code: KS0902 for a free consultation visit
Thank you for reading so far. If you have found this useful or know of someone who could benefit from this post, be sure to share on your social media pages.
Disclaimer: I would like to bring to your attention that this blog post is an interview with Irini, the parental coach, about her personalised services, and that I have not used her services personally. The images used here are from free stock and not my property.