What is a Family Manager and Why Do You Need a Young One?

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Parenting Coach, Family Manager, Life Trainer, Family Mentor, what do all of these names mean? A few months ago, I couldn’t have told you. The title, “Family Coach” and the fabulous opportunity to give families control over their time, actually fell into my lap.

A few clients have asked me to write a blog post to explain what exactly family coaching is and why it goes beyond organizing. As a family coach or family manager, I help a family gain time, efficiency and balance by coming into their home and helping them manage everything: cooking meals, chore management, work out schedules and even throwing your children’s birthday parties.

Many of my clients are parents who are not only trying to juggle their own activities, career, household and health, but they also have to manage their children’s homework, meals, school activities, extra-curriculars and personal development. I remember what it was like for my mom when there were four kids and only one of her. It was stressful for her and for the kids because there was just too much to do, too many complex schedules and not enough time in the day.

I started working with families myself, helping parents communicate with their kids, organizing school desks so students could find and do homework more successfully, and I realized that ‘family managing’ goes beyond the family planning 101 of adding to do lists, making meal plans and delegating chores. ‘Family planning’ is really a time where a family can sit down and think about what they want out of life.

As a young person who works with teenagers, I can help give parents advice that their teens will actually listen to. Many parents who have worked with family managers complain that the tips are great, but not long lasting for the kids. Half of the battle to setting up successful systems is finding a system that works for everyone in the house, especially the teens and kids.

I began to involve all members of the family to set goals, not only in the house, but also in their lives. What do we want out of life and what is holding us back? Although this seems a far cry from alphabetizing the pantry, you would be surprised how many of the families and teens I work with use clutter, lack of time and lost relationships as an excuse for not striving to achieve their goals.

Our family makeover is a time where the family can reset, and we can look at the excuses for not achieving goals such as getting in shape, eating right, spending time with the kids and doing some freelance writing. We then tackle the excuses; we make time, space and find ways where each family can support each other with their goals. Many family members, before resetting, do not even know what each other’s goals are!

So, I write this blog post to explain that family management can help get rid of clutter and stop the morning chaos, but it is also a tool to help bond with each other and motivate yourself and your family in other areas of your life. Every person and every family is different, and sometimes people need a little extra help to get things kick started.

When I come into a house I try very hard to make sure that kids and parents understand that I simply want to show them where to start, to have balance in all areas of their life without judgment or criticism.

Vanessa Van Petten Family Manager FAQ

Help for Divorced Families with Vanessa Van Petten

Press Release on Young Family Managers

Wall Street Journal Article on Family Managers

This post is sponsored by our friends at Respect RX.

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