The New Discipline Rules: Advice from Parent Coaches

Endless tantrums. Rude back talk. Aggressive behavior. The gimmes. At some point you'll face a child-behavior problem that you just can't handle on your own. That's when you might head to the library to check out a few books on discipline. Or ask your best friend for some suggestions. Or, if you're really desperate, call your mom. But there's another option (and yeah, it's a pricey one): Hire a parent coach. Seriously.

It may sound crazy to pay a stranger $100 an hour or more for advice on getting your child to listen, go to bed, stop hitting his friends, and be a better eater. But that's exactly what a growing number of frustrated parents are doing. And a lot of them are happy with the results. Gerri Weiner, a mom from Manhattan Beach, California, credits her parent coach with teaching her to enforce rules without yelling at her 3-year-old son, Brandon. "She helped me regain control of my preschooler," Weiner says.

Do you really need to pay someone to help discipline your child, and would you get your money's worth? Judge for yourself. We asked four parent coaches how they'd solve some behavior issues that are common among young kids.

The Coaches

Cathy Cassani Adams
Elmhurst, Illinois
Rate: $80 per 60-minute phone session

Maureen O'Brien, PhD
Canton, Massachusetts
Rate: $300 for two phone consultations and one in-home visit

Jennifer Wolf
Grandville, Michigan
Rate: $60 per 45-minute phone session

Kim-Tai DeMars
Atlanta, Georgia
Rate: $110 per 45-minute phone session