For the Coach Who is also the Dad

Coaching your own child is a challenge. They seem to take things much more personally than the other kids. They seem to see a coaching tip as a personal insult when it comes from their dad. As a rule, I don't coach at home except on very rare occasions. Well this week, I mentioned a tip to my 10 year old daughter and got the expected response. Let's just say it wasn't "positive". So in a moment of serendipity, I asked her, "How would you have preferred I say that?" She thought about the question and then gave me some verbiage. So I asked her, "Can I try again?" She looked at me hard and then said I could. I walked out of the room and walked back in again just like I did the first time and this time I used her words instead of mine. Low and behold, she got her ball and went out in the backyard and tried out the idea! Enthusiastically, no less. I suggested she get the video camera out so she could see how she was doing. I helped her set it up and walked away. From inside the house, I could see her trying some things out, then talking to the camera. Then watching the video back. I think she really did improve her game a bit. That's not the point. The real gain is even better: I found a way to communicate with her on the touchy subject of coaching. We'll see if it works again next time...