Katie Gruver - Founder, Positive Parenting Seattle
Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, Parent Coach & Speaker
I’ll be honest with you: I thought parenting would be easy. Not without bumps, of course, but you know… intuitive, fun, joyful and even perhaps, carefree. (Insert hysterical laughter here.)
After almost 12 years of parenthood, sometimes charging through with flying colors and sometimes falling flat on my face in the mud, I’ve realized a few essential truths:
This work of raising children is hard. Truly, truly hard. Not because we’re doing it “wrong,” but because we’re growing into a role about which we care deeply and because our kids are ever-evolving, moving targets.
It might get easier, but it will never be easy.
We aren’t meant to do this alone
I started out with a clear idea of success: a blissful life where my children are happy all the time, my house is clean and I’m fulfilled at every moment. Over time, I’ve now grown into the belief that my goal as a parent is to find “moments of joy” and to build a family that’s flexible, makes amends when we make mistakes and is deeply connected to one another, rough edges and all.
For me, the parenting books and blogs didn’t help me figure this out. But community … specifically, building community with other parents … did.
Background
I am a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator and have been working with families for more than 10 years. The majority of my clients have children between 2 and 6 years old, though I work with families at every age and stage of development. I was adjunct faculty at North Seattle College and Seattle Central College for 9 years, where I worked in their Parent Education department with a number Seattle-area preschools and kindergartens providing parent education and teacher support. In additional, I speak at many local community groups, schools and parent organizations on topics such as Positive Discipline, self care, social justice and building anti-racist families and communities.
Prior to starting Positive Parenting Seattle, I worked for almost a decade in international development at various microfinance-focused nonprofit organizations, spent time at two education-focused tech startups in Seattle and worked as writer for Red Tricycle (the parenting magazine).
Degrees & Certifications
Willamette University, BA in Rhetoric & Communication
Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator by Positive Discipline Association
Certified Gottman Bringing Baby Home Educator
Parent to two amazing (wild, creative, rambunctious, funny, ever-changing) kids
