In most circumstances, it is exceedingly difficult to be a parent and a coach at the same time.  While parents may think it’s a good idea to start out coaching their own child, it seldom works well for long.  To begin with, if you are coaching your child along with several other children, you will most likely find that you tend to be harder on your child than on others.  Your child will not understand this, and the sport will lose any “fun” potential it had, leading to quite possibly a strained relationship between you and your child off the court as well as on.

Things You DO when Coaching Your Own Child:

• DO have as much patience with your own child as with any other child
• DO offer helpful feedback on which areas of play your child needs improvement, but not just criticism
• DO stop coaching your own child when you notice he/she is no longer having any fun
• DO make the game fun and offer positive comments with love

Things You DON’T do when Coaching Your Own Child:

• DON’T be any harder on your own child than any other child
• DON’T criticize your child in a manner that leads to negative feelings by your child
• DON’T push your child outside his/her comfort zone in a negative way
• DON’T push your child away from turning to you in times of need

While at first it may seem like a good idea to coach your own child, more often than not that is a road that is fraught with anguish and anxiety.  A parent’s primary role is to be there for your child, whatever their needs, offering unconditional love.  When things go wrong and mistakes are made, children need their parents to be there to support them.  It is often best to let someone else play the role of coach.