Coaching practices for The Morning Questions as a Parent
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For The Morning Questions as a Parent, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- When I ask my kid about their day I get one-word answers, and I realize I only ever ask about homework and chores
- My first reaction when something goes wrong is "why did you DO that?"
- When I check in on myself it’s always "how did the day go," and the answer always seems to ride on things outside my hands
- My kid has started hiding mistakes and bracing like they’re in trouble before I’ve even said anything, and I think it’s because my first reaction to a spill or a broken thing is always the accusation
- My one-on-ones always open with a status check
Practices that may help
- The Morning Questions
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited. - Talk with your child about their day and interests
Genuine conversational interest builds vocabulary, trust, and the relationship buffer that makes limits land without conflict.
Triple P Parenting (Matthew Sanders) - Focus on solutions, not blame
Ask "What can we do to fix this?" rather than "Why did you do that?" — one opens, the other closes.
Positive Discipline (Jane Nelsen) - Reframe passive questions as active questions
Ask "did I do my best to...?" rather than "how was my...?" — the word "try" changes what the question measures.
The Morning Questions - Cultivate a "yes brain": curiosity, courage, and resilience over reactivity
Respond to the child’s world with curiosity and openness rather than threat and control.
The Whole-Brain Child (Siegel & Bryson) - The Coaching Habit: Seven Questions to Be More Coach-Like
Michael Bungay Stanier’s seven questions — from "What’s on your mind?" through "What was most useful for you?" — are a practical system for coaching conversations that takes less than a minute to learn and a career to master. The framework is practitioner-derived from behavioral coaching practice; its mechanisms are grounded in autonomy support, self-determination, and the generation effect. The questions work because they shift the cognitive labor back to the person who owns the problem. - Open with "What’s on your mind?"
The best opening question is also the most open — it invites exactly what the person most needs to talk about.
The Coaching Habit: Seven Questions to Be More Coach-Like - Build zone check-ins into the daily routine
Asking "what zone are you in?" regularly makes zone awareness automatic rather than crisis-only.
Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers) - Include a happiness question — not as an outcome goal but as a signal
Add "Did I do my best to be happy today?" to the list — not as a target, but as a daily quality-of-life sensor.
The Morning Questions - Design a personal question list that matches your current growth goals
Build a short list of active questions that track the behaviors most relevant to your life right now — not a fixed template.
The Morning Questions
Related concerns
- The Morning Questions As A Caregiver
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
- The Morning Questions With My Team
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
- Marshall Goldsmith Morning Questions
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
- The Morning Questions At Work
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
- The Morning Questions For My Teenager
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
- The Morning Questions In A New Job
Marshall Goldsmith’s morning questions are a daily active question routine in which you score yourself each morning on whether you "did your best" to pursue specific values-based commitments the previous day. The practice reframes self-monitoring from passive measurement ("how did X go?") to active responsibility ("did I try?"), which research on active questions suggests produces greater engagement and honest self-assessment. The evidence base is practitioner-clinical; large-scale trials are limited.
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.