Testimonials from some of the parents I’ve worked with

Katherine has changed our family life beyond words.  After a couple of years of struggling with tantrums and then shouting and rage from our eldest (of four children, she was followed closely by twins, then one more) we felt we had a serious problem on our hands.  Was there something wrong with her?  Had we gone wildly wrong in her early years and brought up a child who hated us?  Hadn't we given her enough attention having had more children - or had we given her too much attention and ruined her? First-class mummy guilt was riddling me and I was a wreck.  It was heartbreaking not being able to understand why she was acting the way she was and I had many nights in tears worrying about how I had upset our daughter, wondering how we had got to this stage and dreading the daily routine that always ended in a shouting, tearful child (and mummy).

A friend recommended Katherine Elizabeth, saying that she was wonderful and had really turned things around for her and when I read Katherine’s testimonials there was a common theme of her having a huge and positive impact. In our initial telephone consultation, Katherine reassured me that not only was my daughter absolutely fine and that what I was experiencing was common but that my child was undoubtedly bright - and instantly comforting way to approach the situation. Katherine is quite rightly in much demand and it was a couple of months before she could fit me in. In the two weeks running up to her visit, all was calm, and I was ready to back out of what seemed like quite an investment on a leap of faith - but for anyone not quite sure whether having Katherine in your home for three days will help, I can assure you that it is long enough and she is worth every penny.  She is NOT a super nanny and does not discipline the children - we introduced her to them as 'a friend' and now warmly refer to her as our 'parent coach'. She reintroduced balance, order and calm to our family dynamic. Our children have blossomed under their new sense of responsibility and their confidence has sky-rocketed as a result of Katherine’s help in changing small ways in which we parent our children.

We have 2 young children and used to live in a very chaotic household. They both constantly grabbed my attention and we were all jostling for positions of control resulting in a highly inharmonious family life. My daughter, in particular, was concerning me because we often used to shout at each other and I was deeply worried for the future of our relationship and her own path in life.

As soon as Kathrine saw us at home, she was able to identify the key issues. I was over-praising, not being consistent with the boundaries, doing way too much for them, not giving them their own responsibilities and consequences, the list went on! Katherine was extremely effective in showing me how to parent with high expectations, consistency and much more. Both of my children got on board very quickly with the new way our household operates. They listen to me, respect me, don’t argue or try and negotiate and they are far more relaxed and happy now that they are not constantly trying to control everything around them. I am now a calm mum who is in control and we are all far more connected than we have ever been before. This way of parenting has put me and my daughter on a new path and I have much more confidence that our relationship will remain strong and that she will be able to take responsibility for herself in her own life as she grows older. Katherine’s methodology was just what we needed and I would recommend it for anyone who is feeling out of control wondering where it all went wrong!

At the time that I called Katherine I was aware that the general balance of control was off with my 3 year old son, Gus. Whilst everyone else would have said it was just ‘typical toddler tantrums’ I felt helpless and uncomfortable with his constant demands, limit-pushing and whinging. I was constantly on top of him with my nagging and increasingly short temper and had lost all confidence in what to do. All of the books I’d read suggested I should be ‘hugging out’ his tantrums, which I had tried with no positive effect.

What Katherine was able to show me remarkably quickly is that rather than disciplining Gus (which I thought we were), we were appeasing/firefighting/negotiating with him. Katherine has an incredibly unique eye for how children are constantly vying for control in a way I believe you cannot see from a parental view. She was able to expose the (totally unseen) tactics both ourselves and Gus were repeatedly using in a battle for control. Her ability to be objective is something you simply can’t get from friends and family and her knowledge about how to make a lasting change is something you can’t find on any bookshelf today.

The days that Katherine stayed with us were the most eye-opening I have ever had into what real parenting should look like and having her to turn to for constant support and validation (both during her stay and long after) as we embarked on change is the only thing
that enabled us to see it all the way through.

For anyone considering whether they should work with Katherine, it is an absolute no-brainer; I have never come across advice as sound as hers. For anyone delaying the decision, our experience showed us the problem would have only gotten worse if we hadn’t taken action when we did.

For us, the financial investment became negligible when set against the happiness and balance she has restored to us all. And she has most certainly given me my confidence back and a refreshed sense of identity as a parent, which is invaluable. She was an absolute pleasure to get to know and have in our home and I can’t emphasise enough just how personable she is, or the value of her expertise. I feel extremely blessed she came to stay!

We have three children, who are 6, 4 and 2. Katherine came to us in July this year, since when family life has been calmer, happier and 100% easier. I was worried about having someone in our home telling me what I was doing wrong and how I should be doing it but I never once felt that way, everything Katherine was implementing made complete sense and we could literally see the changes in the children as the hours went on.

The children are happier and understand the boundaries. The behaviour from our eldest, which was concerning us enormously, has almost entirely gone. Having had Katherine’s help my husband and I now parent in the same way, which has meant less friction between us and also having each other’s support.

We are now a united front and have the confidence to know that we are parenting in the right way for us and our children. The children feel more secure and we are a much more contented unit. Katherine was professional and discreet and an easy person to have in our home and I would highly recommend her. It felt like a frightening step to take but wasn’t in the end and has changed all our lives undoubtedly for the better.

I was reluctant to call Katherine although, with three boys and a husband abroad a lot, my life was getting completely out of control. I felt I should be able to handle it but instead of enjoying my children and their childhoods, I was firefighting and found myself shouting and ranting, on my knees with exhaustion.

My boys are bright and brilliant but like many energetic and clever kids, they also control grabbing and sharp. In an effort to be kind, sensitive and meet their needs, I found myself conceding too much control to them and making them insecure in the process. A massive vicious circle I had no idea how to break out of.

Katherine gave me the tools and the confidence to take back the control, reclaim my own time and space and reset the household to a calm space for us all to enjoy. It's good old-fashioned common sense, but it takes her, as a straight-talking, cool-headed outsider, to get that perspective. It was the best money I have ever spent and prevented me from pursuing ridiculous diagnoses for all manner of sensory issues when all my kids needed was a strong mum to give them the security they needed.

We’ve just returned from Center Parcs and it’s the first time we didn’t want our holiday to end - thank goodness we found Katherine! We were at our wits' end with both our children (son 1.5, daughter 3.5), they were so clingy and our daughter was extremely naughty and almost out of control. Katherine came to stay with us and instantly changed our outlook and our understanding of our children. She pointed out so many little changes we could make and these instantly changed everything for the better. We would never have thought such change possible in so short a time!

Thank you for coming to stay with us for the weekend, you slotted right into our family and it was a pleasure to have you. The advice and techniques you suggested for us to work with our daughter have been invaluable.

When I made contact with you I was at my wits’ end not knowing how to handle my feisty five-year-old. Family life had started to become a cycle of shouting and frustrations and still not getting the outcome I wanted. Finding myself reduced to tears on several occasions I realised things had to change.

On your arrival you quickly made us realise the skills that we needed to acquire in order to have control of our alpha daughter. By taking back control we now have a happier child and most importantly a happy family!

Our daughter has become a joy to be with, helping around the house, carrying school bags in and out of the car. I’m no longer the mummy that does everything for the girls, instead, I have much greater expectations of what they should be doing to pull their weight as part of the family and they have risen to the challenge.

Of course, things aren’t perfect, (we are a normal family after all) our daughter’s character hasn’t changed and we wouldn’t want it to but we are all much more in control and are aware of the boundaries and the behaviour that is acceptable. There are definitely occasions when I find myself thinking about what would Katherine advise I do in this situation!

Grandparents commented over Xmas that she was like a different child and is so much happier. I have you to thank for that and I think you were worth every penny. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone.

Thank you so much for everything.

It may sound dramatic but it is no overstatement when I say that Katherine Elizabeth has changed my life. And in turn, the lives of my children.

She does not have a magic wand but what Katherine does is debunk parenting, allow perspective and provides a kind of habit and boundary formula which once you get your head around makes total sense and becomes easier to implement.

She also gave me permission to reclaim my life which has become possible by setting healthy boundaries and this, in turn, has improved my relationship with my children and made me happier which has a knock-on effect.

Our post-Katherine household is a calm, consistent and happy environment. We still have bad moments and afternoons or evenings but they occur much less and we re-set and crack on quickly and do not dwell. Most importantly, Katherine has helped me to believe in myself, raised my confidence in my ability and allowed me to act effectively, safe in the knowledge that 'I have got this'

We have a strong-willed 7-year-old daughter and a laid back 9-year-old son. The daughter had begun to cause absolute havoc within the family. I was often in tears of frustration at the end of the day, with the over-riding thought of ‘I just don’t understand what’s going on. I think I’m a fairly balanced mum and this is not how she has been taught to behave.’ Tantrums, constant answering back and being very disrespectful to me, refusal to follow instructions and a lot of fighting with her brother. The thing that finally made me contact Katherine was the feeling that my son was fading into the background with more and more time spent in his room to escape the near-constant drama.

Katherine came to stay for 3 days and I had the usual worries that I’d have about any house guest; what will they eat, what will they want to do and first and foremost, what if my children decide to behave for 3 days?! Katherine could not have made it easier. She is a very easy guest, and she was right in her assertion that she’d see what she needed to from the children and us, as parents, to ascertain what we could do to improve things.

Over the 3 days, we worked on small changes to our parenting style which has had a big impact. My daughter is still feisty and always will be but the major (and pretty life-changing) point is that I am in control and know what I am doing. As such, I feel calm. I get to the end of the day feeling good about it. The behaviour has improved. I feel like I’ve got my daughter back. We can enjoy time together again instead of battling.

I should have called Katherine sooner.

We first spoke to Katherine in January 2019, both of us were feeling drained by the behaviour of our eight year old daughter and six year old son, unable to cope with the arguments and tantrums, but recognising that the source of this issue was likely something we as a couple were doing, rather than an inborn "devil" gene in our children.  We arranged for Katherine to join us in April, to follow us as a family, and to guide my wife and me in ways to address the problems we were experiencing.  As April drew closer, I was very close to cancelling the meeting; the children seemed to be behaving better; we were happier as a family; why bother?  We did not cancel, and I am so pleased we did not, this has got to be the best money we have ever spent!  Katherine immediately became a part of the family group, she joined in, spoke with us, and mostly observed....then she told us where we had to make changes, what she had seen, how this would impact both us and more importantly our children in the future, if not resolved.  It was not easy, it led to some rebellious behaviour from our children, and through it, Katherine quietly, with confidence supported us, offered advice, allowed us to develop, which resulted in changes in our children's behaviour.  By the end of the three days we had seen change, it still required/requires work, but we have a better understanding of what to do, what is acceptable.  If you are having issues with behaviour, you do not know how to resolve, speak to Katherine, her service is amazing, and even when she has left she is still only a WhatsApp chat away.  Fantastic, I cannot recommend this enough. Thanks again Katherine, we are not perfect, but we are so much better than we were:  keep changing lives.

We could not recommend Katherine more highly. From our very first conversation onwards we have learnt so much about parenting and been so grateful to have come across her! We were struggling with our four-year-old daughter: the usual toddler tantrums, being listened to, toileting issues and discipline in general. Having a seven-month-old baby as well as adding additional tiredness and stress into our family life and we really wanted so much to have a calm and happy home for both our beautiful girls. Katherine came to stay and from the beginning was open and honest with us. It was exactly what we needed as all her teaching and examples were based on our situation and not just theory from the web or a book that we couldn’t easily apply to our own family. She was a pleasure to have in our family for that period of time and the ongoing support by phone and email since has been endless and really supportive. If you are reading this in any doubt as to whether to give her a call I would really encourage you to...We have already seen so many amazing benefits and I feel like our family has become so much calmer and happier already. Our older daughter is far more engaged and focussed and our youngest daughter is sleeping through the night!!!! Mealtimes and family outings are no longer the battle they used to be. We had a lot of learning to do but Katherine was really kind and supportive throughout and there was never any judging or criticism...just open and honest observations with personalised strategies to get our family back on track. Thanks so much Katherine.

Katherine came to our home to assist with our four young girls, as a Muslim family we debated about asking a non-family member to stay and assist with our children. The second we met Katherine all our worries disappeared. She was respectful ( even wore a headscarf and modest dress), she was professional and approachable. She didn’t pass judgment and was confident in the advice she provided. It was like having a friend stay over. The difference in our children was instant, we cannot put a price on the difference that has been made. The girls are happier and well behaved. The calmness which had left, has now returned. I’m still amazed at the changes in such a short space of time. Highly recommended and always welcome in our home.

When we contacted Katherine, we felt completely overwhelmed by our three sons. Both working long hours, with little family time, we had forgotten how to be calm and consistent parents. Katherine provides an excellent, professional service, at every stage. She came to our home for three days and gave us the skills to parent firmly, fairly and consistently. We now live in a so much calmer household - even the dog is calm! Thank you Katherine, for the first class service you provide.

We were looking for someone to offer us guidance and support with our children who had become very demanding and were showing us a lack of respect. Although our children weren’t “badly behaved” as such, they were presenting us with behaviours we did not like and weren’t sure how to deal with.

We found Katherine Elizabeth via the internet and following a prompt reply and video call we decided we liked the way Katherine spoke about how we should expect children to behave and why we were where we were. Having had a three-night visit from Katherine our house is much calmer, there is less shouting and we feel that we have the tools to deal with unwanted behaviour as and when it arises.

The cost was a factor for us but having now been through the process it was worth every penny and we wouldn’t hesitate to contact Katherine for any help or advice in the future.

Katherine has a professional, direct style and is not afraid to give her views. She will challenge you, but you feel that she is on your ‘team’ at the same time. She is genuinely curious to dig into issues, and to understand what is really driving behaviours, be they those of your children, or your own! She also helps you to be strong in sticking to whatever you have decided to do, which can be tough at times when you are faced with a difficult toddler.

Katherine is able to offer support for parents and understand how your family best functions. It has been both a wonderful and enlightening experience having her expertise and advice on tap. We have two very active and at times willful boys who now understand how to listen, respect, and self-manage appropriately for their ages.

When I was pregnant with our second child I felt that I might benefit from some advice about handling our toddler. Katherine observed Henry at home, when out and about, and with different people. Her straightforward observations and advice helped me ‘see the wood for the trees’ and my new-found confidence in dealing with Henry has transformed his behaviour and our relationship.

Katherine is very quick to pinpoint the root causes of difficult ‘child-management’ situations. My five-year-old twins and eight-year-old daughter often vie for my attention and try to cause trouble at critical times, such as when we are leaving the house for school or when they should be going to bed. Katherine is always able to see things objectively and give me advice from an unemotional perspective.

Katherine came to me at a point when my two children (a girl aged five and boy aged three) were driving me to distraction. They fought constantly and I found myself constantly on edge and nagging them. What's more, my son was coming into our bed every night. Katherine moved in for three nights and quite simply changed my life. She quietly observed and then told me, in no uncertain terms, that my son was completely ruling the entire family.

My daughter was playing up because she was jealous of my son getting away with everything. Once I followed Katherine's simple steps to get my son behaving, her behaviour was also transformed. Katherine also helped me get my son sleeping in his own bed — and it only took two nights! I was so sad to see Katherine leave us but she has left us with tools that are invaluable. I cannot recommend Katherine highly enough.