Sometimes in spite of clearly identifying pathology and digging into the past to "fix" it, children's behavior in the family did not noticeably change. I also began to be painfully aware that knowing about family systems and couple relationships did not prepare me for dealing with child behavior. That awareness propelled me back into graduate school to develop a firmer foundation in child and adolescent development in the context of family. During a research project involving adolescent parents and their families, I learned two key things:
1. Many young mothers can be both good parents and make a successful transition to adulthood, and 2. Their own mothers did not take over the parenting role but remained grandmothers who were able to "coach" their daughters day by day in being good mothers. Not especially surprising when I thought about it, because who would know a young woman's strengths better than her own mother? Later, the term "coach" began to enter public awareness as Life Coaches and Relationship Coaches opened practices.