Coaching a sports team can be difficult. When your own kids are playing on the squad this difficult task becomes even more challenging.
Here are six tips parent-coaches can use to keep things fun and constructive on and off the playing field.
1) Get Their Input First
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Keeping the idea of coaching your son or daughters team in mind, ask your child to help you come up with a list of positives and negatives. Listen to what your child has to say before making the final decision to come on board as coach. It's much better to get things clear early, rather than two months into a long, emotional season.
Don't over-practice–or over-coach–with your child at home. Since you are both parent and coach, this could lead to your child feeling a bit overwhelmed and confused. Ultimately, this can lead to them to want to quit the team–and nobody wants that.
Be a parent at home, but be a coach at games and practices. The ability to make fair and honest decisions dealing with your children and other team members will strengthen the respect that your child will have for you (as well as the rest of the team).
Be open and honest with other parents when dealing with team issues, even if they involve your kid. There will always be disagreements between kids, or feelings of jealousy, because you are the coach. Just remember to handle those situations quickly and with open communication.
Give your child praise, but avoid showing preferential treatment like giving extra playing time or special duties to your child. Conversely, avoid diminishing you child's playing time or giving less one-on-one time in an effort to show that you are not playing favorites, as your child will begin to feel unfairly treated. It's a tough balance, but one that a parent-coach needs to be aware of (especially with pre-teen kids).
If you're ever in doubt about how to treat a situation involving your son or daughter on the field, think of what you would do if you were dealing with a child other than your own. This could be an effective way to not only properly coach your own child, but might also help your relationship going forward.
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