Overwrought Moms Turn to Parenting Coaches

Sept. 23 -- On a typical day at the office, Peggy Alvarado has some unique discussions with her clients.

"So tell me more about your potty training issues with Gabrielle," she urges one.

"It's hard not to feel like a failure when you're trying to help your child go through a developmental stage," Alvarado sympathetically tells another.

Alvarado is part of a relatively new industry. She's a "parenting coach." She doesn't have a degree in child development or psychology, and in fact, for 13 years she was a software developer. But now Alvarado runs her own business, charging an average of $300 per month per client, to moms, like herself, who phone her Manalapan, N.J.-based office seeking guidance, or send e-mails to her Web site.

"The parents I've encountered are good parents," she said. "They're just having issues with dealing with the relationship, their spouse, their child, their own parenting skills, their own stresses."

Answers — for a Price

Buffi Neal, a 36-year-old mother of two from Annandale, N.J., is one of thousands of parents who are turning to coaching for help. It's a growing trend, for those who can afford it. Neal has been a client for seven months and has spent over $2,000 thus far. She started talking to Alvarado because she was struggling with typical day-to-day pressures of raising her son, Derek, 4, and daughter, Amanda, 6. She felt she needed more than a self-help book but didn't feel the need for a psychologist.

"I felt unfulfilled," Neal said. "I felt out of balance and I was trying to struggle home, my family, my children, my work and I never felt like I was doing anything well … I feel like there's such pressure to be the perfect mom."

So she shares those feelings with her parenting coach.

"I feel tired," Neal told Alvarado. "I feel tired, like if it's all on me, it's all on my shoulders."

"Yeah," Alvarado said. "So when do you want to have them start cleaning their rooms every night again?"