Being a hockey coach is a difficult enough task as is, but it becomes even more difficult when you’re also coaching your own kids.
That’s not to say that coaching your kids isn’t rewarding and worthwhile, but there’s a lot of considerations that come into play that wouldn’t be on the table when coaching a team of players who you aren’t also raising at home.
First and foremost, you have to ensure that you’re treating your child the same as every other kid on the team, as hard as that may be for you both.
Too many players and too many parents will take exception to your child receiving more ice time or meaningful minutes than other players, just because of who the coach is. This might be difficult for your child to understand depending on their age, so it’s important to help them understand that as early as possible.
Your child also can’t receive special treatment, such as more one-on-one time with coaches at practice. They’re just another player at the end of the day, and everyone deserves their time and role!
Lastly, this also means that as a coach, if you’re going to single out players after a tough loss, you can’t be afraid to also single out your son or daughter; they don’t receive special exemption unfortunately and everyone has to own up to mistakes if you want to go to that route.
All players should be treated equally, and at the end of the day, there’s always times to bring your child to the outdoor rink for some extra practice time with dad.
