would you want to coach your son/daughter?

My dad coached me in soccer when I was a teenager. Different sport, but it worked out okay for both of us.

I coached my son in track in high school. I just made very sure I didn't have a hint of favoritism. He complained that I was harder on him than anyone else!

A lot depends on the type of coaching style you have and the type of personality your kid has.

It can work very well with the right mix but it can also be a nightmare with the wrong mix.

Have coached both of min. Love it.

Probably not much of a problem in a sport like running, but I'm of the opinion that, in a team sport, if your kid isn't an undisputed starter, you're gonna have some problems...

My dad coached my grade school baseball team from fourth through eighth grade. I'm glad he did. Thanks Dad.

Ever heard of Peter and Seb Coe?

I coached my son in high school and loved it. He's now running at a big time program.

The biggest challenge for me is keeping my mouth shut when he's home on break and not putting the work I think he should.

I currently coach my daughter in indoor track. It's great. Just like another poster mentioned I make sure she is not favored in any way. She wouldn't have it any other way. During the off season I'm helping her train as well.

I coach a different team that competes against her in XC. This can be hard at times but I had already been coaching there for a while before she was in high school. Her XC team is small so she trains with us through the summer months.

I had sex with my daughter's coach last year, and now it's uncomfortable when I go to meets, because the coach seems to think we now have a connection and she is too comfortable with touching me in front of the kids. Get lost chick!

I'll never coach my son in any sport. Learning to deal with and relate to authority is very important in a young person's life. I'm not gonna remove opportunities for him to do that.

50+ wrote:

I had sex with my daughter's coach last year, and now it's uncomfortable when I go to meets, because the coach seems to think we now have a connection and she is too comfortable with touching me in front of the kids. Get lost chick!

Seems you were too comfortable touching her outside of the meets. Get your priorities straight, jerk.

The principal problem is for the child because the coach is ever present in their lives. For most kids, they can go home and are no longer under the coaches' watchful eye. When you coach your own kid, you're always there urging them to do their workout. That's great if they're super motivated. But there is a risk that having the parent there always reminding them to do their workout will take the joy out of running. It can become like any other chore that the parent requires the child to do - do your homework, clean your room, do the dishes, take out the trash, go for your run. You need to have a strategy to make sure the kid runs because he/she loves it and is motivated to get better rather than just doing it to satisfy mom/dad.