“With great compassion and understanding Mary is able to carefully untangle the personalities and relationships that make up a family in order to provide a clear set of guidelines to resolve whatever issues you have presented her with. In doing so she gives parents confidence and resolve - such crucial attributes to have when raising children. She untangles the interaction between parent and child by giving parents the ability to act with loving certainty. The result is a calmer and, I think, more magical family life.”

“Mary has revolutionised our lives! Not only has she helped us to understand our child, but she has instilled in us a sense of calm. We are calmer, more effective parents, and therefore our home is a much happier and much more peaceful place. We will be forever grateful!”

“Mary is the compass to our family’s journey. Whenever we get off track her support and guidance is right on point. She reminds us as parents it’s not just about the destination but the journey. With rhythm and support, clear boundaries and self-care we have navigated our way thought many challenges. Knowing Mary has changed the way we parent in the most amazing ways. Her techniques are simple and clear to follow and remain the solid ground work for our day-to-day lives.”

“Thanks so much Mary. After working with you on our (3 1/2 year old) daughter’s sleep routine, we’ve gone from getting up constantly in the night, tears, tantrums and sleeplessness for all of us, to a calm transition to bedtime, with her nearly always sleeping right through the night.

We also found that exploring each of our family member’s main personality types very helpful too as we could see where we clashed and also our strengths, and work with these for a more harmonious household!”

“My husband and I have 4 children, all girls, and even though I have been working with children and families for more than 25 years I still find there are times when I have needed extra support and a fresh perspective with a challenging child. We have been fortunate to learn from Mary Willow when we have had challenges we felt unable to meet as parents and individuals. We are united in our desire to provide the best environment for our children, and to be able to share that with someone as supportive, intuitive and experienced as Mary has been tremendously beneficial to us as a couple, and to our children. Mary’s innovative way of explaining the child in us, along with the real child in question, has gone a long way to helping us gain a greater and more realistic perspective on things.

I would recommend Mary to you absolutely and unequivocally, without hesitation and exception, no matter what challenge you are dealing with. In her you will find a person who has a genuine desire to understand you and what is going on in your life, and practical ways to bring about true and lasting change”

“Mary has worked with our family for about the past 7 years, closely with me and my daughters, and also my wider family. She has helped me to raise my children and provide me the most insightful and loving tools any parent would dream of having, I believe. She is “the bible” of parenting assistance and support that every parent needs to have access to at the birth of their child. The stuff that Mary shares should be taught in our school systems. Her style is so intuitive, knowing, unconventional, with complete depth and she is able to peel back the complex layers of life to provide practical tools that hit the mark and change the course of family life for the better. I could not speak higher of anyone!
When I first met Mary by eldest daughter (who was 6 at the time) was concerning me hugely: she was inward, harsh, aggressive, insensitive, uncaring, immovable and unmanageable…and had lots of issues both at school and in the home as a result of these characteristics. Through Mary’s interventions, and now at the age of 13…she has bloomed into a girl who is driven, incredibly capable, strong, confident, resourceful, supportive, diligent, with amazing leadership skills. She is funny and relaxed and a pleasure to be with much of the time….she is 13 after all! We are a very happy and settled family now”

“We had come to the realisation that our parenting wasn’t working. So after a comment to our midwife when our third child was born…she recommended Mary.

The baby was easy; it was our eldest, the 4 year old we were having trouble with. It was eye opening to learn from Mary all about our personalities and how children develop…and one of our biggest realisations was that we had wafty boundaries. We also learned how to safely defuse anger.

What is interesting now is that when we do find our parenting challenging we can talk about what we did that didn’t work, and how we can change things for the next time, and we delve in to Mary’s fantastic notes.

3 kids under 6 is busy, but I knew I wanted to write this, as it’s not fair to keep Mary a secret from others who may be like us; Parents who love their kids but are finding it challenging. Sometimes in life its better to admit when you need help and be strong enough to ask for it. Thanks again Mary, and may many get to benefit from your guidance and enjoy their parenting!”

“Our family cannot recommend Mary and her wonderful work enough. She has completely transformed, not only our little girl’s life now and into the future, but our marriage and family in the process. She came to us when we were distressed, anxious and struggling. She met our situation, past and future, with care, love, tenderness and a vast myriad of knowledge and experience. She has been a blessing to our family and will be to any other that works with her.

Her straightforward approach, explanations, skills and ideas made the necessary processes for change simpler and easier than anticipated, and at times even enjoyable!
Mary and Plum Parenting have helped reveal who our little girl truly is, and she is no longer the timid, shy, quiet girl we had become to believe she was. Like a butterfly from the chrysalis, she has come into her own and is going from strength to strength every day. We are eternally grateful: we have been set free. Thank you Mary for your love and support.”

“Partnering with Mary on my parenting journey has helped me to stay out of the metaphorical woods and on the straight-and-narrow of growing deep, heartfelt and joyful relationships with my growing family. Her shared wisdom has been a blessing for myself, my children and hopefully, in time, will be of service to our community. I am deeply grateful”

“Mary is not only highly qualified and full of knowledge and love, confidence and experience, she is also a Mum full of compassion and empathy. That made the session with her a really encouraging situation, where I as a parent could feel some HOPE AGAIN, knowing I am not the only one nor the last one to be going through similar circumstances. Thanks Mary for your time and vocation.”

“You had a wonderful, aware way in helping us make our decisions by offering a way of approaching the family situation on a timeline respectively, from the essence of every family member, with warmth, empathy and an experienced objectivity.”

“Mary’s mentoring helped me to regain confidence as a mother. Her advice has helped bring my beautiful son back from an unhappy headspace. Thank you so much for your help.”

“We have attended one of Mary’s seminars and had two counselling sessions. With Mary’s help we have gained a greater understanding of our children, their temperaments and how to parent them in a way that is best suited to them. I recommend Mary’s support to all families.”

“We were both singing your praises last night. The sleep advice has worked a treat. I feel like my understanding of nonverbal communication has moved to a whole new level, which feels liberating. It took about 3 days but has really been so easy. She pops into bed now with no problems. Thanks so much!”

“Mary Willow has worked with us in the past and made a significant difference to our everyday life. We are more connected as a family, clearer on our purpose and have a wider appreciation for each others strengths and differences. Her work around understanding child development and the ages and stages is critical for every parent to know and understand. Thanks for your input to our family Mary.”

“Parenting can sometimes get you into a right muddle and Mary brings wonderful, much needed clarification in these times. She has supported us to see and implement clear strategies that have supported us to be the best parents we can, and to help our family be the best it can be. She is like the walking stick we lean on when the track gets bumpy!”