Last month we talked about the proverbial “soccer mom” who, with relentless love and affection, drives her children around to practices, recitals, and all of the extracurriculars that help to foster passion and motivation in their children. But let’s take a look the dad’s who not only help to chauffeur the children, but are actually on  the fields, or maybe just on the sidelines, coaching. Showing up as a coach, even if not officially, is major support in a child’s life and here are the reasons why:

You are present. The unspoken significance of just showing up is monumental. Dad’s presence alone is enough to motivate the push toward excellence.

You are a solid knowledge base. If dad knows what’s up and gives good, constructive feedback at home, the kid is destined to be a star!

Your encouragement means everything to your children. Some parents can be overly passionate in their efforts to “coach” their children that their comments can actually be quite damaging. Kids who miss the shot, or don’t make the grade, or don’t place in the top 3 of the competition, still need to hear that they did great, and that Dad is proud of them for their efforts.

Dads who coach create opportunities for their children to explore and develop their skills. It allows them to try new things. One of those things might lead to an epic future and knowing that Dad has there back and is there to support is the exact motivation that they need.

Finally, passionate interest in what your children do is infectious. If dad is passionate, the kids will get excited.

Truly, when dad is involved in anything, its awesome. Dad’s have the innate ability to balance seriousness and instantly become playful, which makes them excellent coaches and motivators for their children. This is one of the many reasons why we are loving on and appreciating dads this month. Dads, you deserve the world for coaching us into our dreams, but we can start with offering a few kind words and tokens of appreciation.