7 Ways to Deal with Your Child’s Bullying Coach
A coach and his/her temperament could make or break your child’s athletic career. The importance of a coach or mentor can never be overstated. In all pursuits, the type of coach or mentor you get could either make you fall in love with the sport or make you hate it for the rest of your life. It is, therefore, essential to know and ensure that your child gets a proper and dependable coach as far as sports or athletics are concerned. A coach may be any one of the three types—the trustworthy one, about whom you and your child can rest assured; the careless one, who is only looking for money and does not really care if your child learns anything at all; and the bully, who is the one you should be most cautious and watchful about. If your child is lucky to have a great coach, he/she could become an adept sports person or athlete, but if anything unfortunately goes wrong – like if the coach turns out to be a bully, things could go awry and you should do your best to avoid such a situation. Listed here are 7 ways to deal with your child’s bullying coach.
. Listen to your child
Always start by lending a very careful and attentive ear to your child. Listen to what he/she has to say about the coach in question. It is your child who goes through everything – good or bad – so it is he/she who will be best to tell you firsthand what or how it really is. If he/she is being treated fairly and honorably, well and good; but if he/she is being targeted by the bullying coach, you should not sit back doing nothing about it.
2. Empathize with your child
Whatever your child is facing and going through in the sports class or athletic session, he/she will be entirely dependent upon you for moral support, at the least. As a parent, you will be best able to tell how much of the problem is real and how much of it is, in fact, rooted in your child’s mind. By filtering out reality from imagination, you will be able to guide your child and make him/her mentally prepared as to what expectations he/she should have.
3. Understand the problem
Often, the child may not be able to perceive a problem or a situation in its true light and may be misinterpreting the coach’s initiative to teach him/her something or preparing him/her for some tough sport or athletic accomplishment. The mental stress of expectations and the physical wear and tear they go through could add to their problem of misunderstanding. So you, as a parent, should get to the root of the problem, analyze it as much as is possible and then take a call regarding the next step.
4. Ask your child what he/she wants you to do
Of course, no matter what you decide to do to correct any adverse situation, you should always take your child’s consent. Remember it is after all your child’s problem and you are only guiding him/her and helping him/her out in averting it. Taking his/her opinion will give him/her self-confidence and will also teach your child to take decisions in life. So ask him/her what he/she wants you to about it, discuss, and then take action.
