Parenting coaches: why Irish parents are turning to experts for help and advice on raising their kids

Parenting coaches specialise in assisting parents who want to improve their connections to their children. They explain why listening, playful moments and apologising after a fight are key to building trust and safety

Hayley Rice: ‘When people say kids are attention seeking, it’s connection seeking. They’re looking to reconnect with you.’

Tanya Sweeney

It’s a truism worn down to the point of overused cliché: kids do not come with an instruction manual.

This was something Wicklow-based Joy Maguire found herself realising. After the death of her husband Declan in 2019, Joy became the sole parent to their sons, now aged 17 and 11. At the behest of her grief counsellor, she found Hayley Rice (hayley-rice.com), a parenting coach based in Wicklow. As it happens, a growing number of parenting coaches are helping to light the pathway for new (and not-so-new) parents.