Coach Done

Three weeks is waaaaay too long.

Life has been hectic. Good hectic, but hectic all the same. Travelling for work, seeing family in NYC and of course, little league baseball. Our team lost a nail-biter on Saturday and I am still reeling a bit.  Yes, I am that insane parent who lives and breathes sports with his kid. Do I disrespect other children and parents in my attempt to inject enthusiasm into the game for my son? Never.  Do I keep my energy up so my son tackles sports, tasks, and life with courage, conviction and passion? Absolutely.

But I do believe that, at this juncture, I am done. Done with coaching my kid on teams. While I will also work with him individually to sharpen skills – academically and athletically – I know that our time as coach and player has passed. I only know one speed as a coach and being extra hard on my kid is not fair.  I encourage others and can be overly critical of him. He’s six and I am sick (with it). Lord, help me.

So, I have made the adult decision to be a great sideline cheerleader. I want to be more positive that critical and ensure that I create a relationship with my son that is rooted in him following my model and/or listening to my wisdom than getting bored of my banter and tuning me out. I know I would. (“I would rather see a sermon than to hear one any day…”) He is as stubborn and convinced of himself as his old man, and in order for me to be half as good as my dad, I have to learn to listen more and scream less.

Work in progress. Forever.