I coach my son's soccer team. I wanted more quality time, but realized other kids get the best version of me.
A parent shares his personal struggle with coaching his son's soccer team, noting that he inadvertently gives more patience and attention to other children than his own. He reflects on the difficulty of balancing his role as a father with the professional expectations of a coach.
Why it matters
This piece highlights the common psychological challenges parents face when attempting to integrate their personal and extracurricular lives with their children.
The author (not pictured) coaches his son's soccer team. Getty Images I wanted more time with my 9-year-old son, so I decided to coach his soccer team. On paper, it makes sense — we do spend a lot more time in the same place. However, I realized that other kids were getting all my patience and attention. Last year, I signed up to coach my son's soccer team for the most obvious reason a parent ever does anything: to spend more time with my kid. The math made sense. Two practices and a game every week, all of it with my son, on top of the drives there and back. On paper, coaching was hours of togetherness I'd otherwise never get, especially now that he's 9 — almost 10! — and getting to the age where he doesn't always want to hang out with me.
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