Parent Coaching Case Study: Screen Time Battles In this **Parent Coaching Case Study**, we delve into effective strategies to tackle screen time battles. Learn how to navigate the digital world with ease and foster a healthy relationship with technology within your family. Discover practical tips and insights to empower you on your parenting journey. – For privacy reasons, I’ve changed the names in this story.
Sally came to me feeling completely defeated.
Her 6-year-old son’s screen time habit was taking over their family life. She felt like she had tried everything to change his behaviour. Every time it was time to turn off the screens cue the screaming, hitting, breaking things. His meltdowns were intense and relentless.
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At first, Sarah tried going easy on the screen limits—no boundaries at all—thinking it would make things smoother. However, that, of course, didn’t work. After all, kids need boundaries.
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So, in desperation, Sarah then swung to the other extreme—banishing screens entirely. This approach worked… for a while. Unfortunately, as soon as the screens came back, so did his out-of-control behaviour.
Banning screens to stop tantrums is like never letting your child ride a bike again because they fell off once.
Sure, you prevent another fall, but they also miss out on learning how to balance, pedal, and ride a bike.
Avoiding the trigger doesn’t help them develop the skills they need—it just stops them from practising and improving.
Parenting coaching Case Study.
Sally was exhausted and, to be honest, a little dubious about whether anything could really help. She thought she’d tried everything. What more could I offer?
This is exactly where so many of us get stuck: we focus on wanting to stop the behaviour, without considering the bigger picture.
The truth is, we can’t just stop unwanted behaviour—we need to understand where and why it’s happening.
We need to get to the root cause so we can truly support, coach, and guide ourselves and our kids.
In Sally’s case, the screen time battle wasn’t just about the screens. It was a symptom of a much bigger challenge.
Together, we dug into what was really going on. We discovered that her son didn’t just struggle with screen time. He also found it incredibly difficult to cope when plans changed. If something unexpected happened—a cancelled swimming lesson or a rescheduled playdate—he had trouble adapting.
This is when the meltdowns would explode. Sally hadn’t realised how much his emotional world was impacting their home life, and how much she was stepping in too quickly to avoid his upsets
Sally, found it really hard to hold boundaries. She’d been raised to always please others, to be the ‘good girl,’ and she carried that belief into motherhood. She felt that her role was to make her child happy at all costs.
If he was upset, she’d rush in to fix things—thinking it was her job to save him from his big feelings. But, deep down, Sally knew that wasn’t helping either. She was walking on eggshells, terrified of upsetting him.
Here’s where parent coaching came in.
We worked together to help Sally build the confidence to hold healthy boundaries and support her son through his big emotions without rushing in to fix things.
We used tools from the Language of Listening framework, like the Strength Tool, to help him recognise his own ability to calm down and cope with disappointment and frustration.
Over time, Sally was able to guide him through those tough moments, and he started feeling proud of himself for handling his emotions. Instead of shutting down or having a meltdown, he started to believe that he could cope with whatever came his way.
Related: More online Parenting Coach Case Studies.
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How to Sarah stopped shouting at her kids
Sally’s transformation was just as important.
No longer did she have to be the ‘fixer,’ rescuing him from every moment of discomfort. Instead, by learning to hold firm but supportive boundaries, Sally stopped feeling like the ‘bad mum.’
She learned that her job wasn’t to always make him happy—it was to teach him the skills he needed to manage his own behaviour.
This wasn’t just about getting her son to stop having meltdowns. It was about empowering him to understand himself, teaching him the skills to manage change, and giving him the confidence to handle his emotions.
Sally didn’t need to fix things for him; instead, she needed to guide him through the tough stuff, helping him grow into someone who could manage his own behaviour.
This is what parent coaching is all about.
It’s not about giving you quick fixes or just stopping unwanted behaviour (well that happens!) —it’s about helping you understand the bigger dynamics at play in your family and giving you the tools to support your child’s emotional development.
Sally didn’t just stop the meltdowns. She gave her son the ability to manage his own behaviour. And in the process, she gained the confidence to be the mum she wanted to be—not the one walking on eggshells, but the one supporting her child’s growth and learning.
If you’re feeling stuck in the same cycle…
Wondering if anything can really help, think about this: to break free from the behaviour and build lasting change, we have to look deeper. We have to understand the bigger picture.
This is what parent coaching helps you do. It’s not about stopping behaviour—it’s about understanding it, guiding your child through it, and supporting them to grow.
Could you and your family benefit from this kind of support?
Let’s talk about how parent coaching can help you transform your family life.
I offer 1-2-1 coaching support to a more enjoyable, joyful family life.
You don’t have to go it alone! I’m here to help.
As a qualified, authorised child behaviour specialist and parenting coach, I provide personalised support and practical solutions to turn your parenting challenges into a calm, happy, peaceful home.
Parent coaching is like having a trusty guide on your parenting journey Let’s chat. You can schedule a complimentary, no-obligation call. You can do that by clicking right here.
What other parents are saying after working with me:
“Camilla was the answer to our prayers. I am endlessly grateful to her and only wish I’d found her sooner.” Louisa, Mum of 2
“Camilla coached us through different methods. Methods which I had never thought about, but gave us incredible results in a very short space of time, methods which we still use now and are so easy to implement on a daily basis. I am no longer the shouty mum I used to be. And my relationship with my kids has changed so much, I often wonder why I hadn’t started this journey sooner.’ Lucy, Mum of 3
“I was stuck in a pretty unpleasant vicious circle, with three awesome small children and was ruining it. I was afraid they would grow up and not trust me. Within the first couple of weeks working with Camilla I saw positive changes.” Claire, Mum of 3
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