How do you all feel about parents side coaching kids (10 to 18 years old)?
Is there any time in which you feel side coaching is justified?
I'd love to hear from those of you who are parents of swimmers and admit to have done this before. Where do you draw the line? Do you keep it hidden from your kids coach? Do you agree that most of the best youth swimmers have been side coached to some extent?
Interesting question.:cheerleader:
I can't speak to this exact question, but I suspect it's similar to what I call "multiple editor syndrome" in the college essay process. Young achiever writes a college essay and gives it to a trusted adult (teacher, parent, counsellor, sibling, father's college room-mate who works @ the New Yorker, uncle's former boss who works in admissions at Prestigious U), and gets some advice and makes some changes. Young Achiever (or his/her parent) decides that if some advice is good, more is better, and then picks another person from the list above. YA continues this process until all of the above have been consulted. YA then checks in with 9th, 10th, and 11th grade teachers just to be sure.
THe end result is a kid with a nervous breakdown and an essay that's a mish-mash of good intentions and bad juju. I don't imagine that multiple coach syndrome is much different. Too many cooks CAN spoil the broth.
I can't speak to this exact question, but I suspect it's similar to what I call "multiple editor syndrome" in the college essay process. Young achiever writes a college essay and gives it to a trusted adult (teacher, parent, counsellor, sibling, father's college room-mate who works @ the New Yorker, uncle's former boss who works in admissions at Prestigious U), and gets some advice and makes some changes. Young Achiever (or his/her parent) decides that if some advice is good, more is better, and then picks another person from the list above. YA continues this process until all of the above have been consulted. YA then checks in with 9th, 10th, and 11th grade teachers just to be sure.
THe end result is a kid with a nervous breakdown and an essay that's a mish-mash of good intentions and bad juju. I don't imagine that multiple coach syndrome is much different. Too many cooks CAN spoil the broth.
