I have six children.
In other words, I have a learning laboratory.
I have watched each child learn to swim, surf, skate, and so on.
I have watched my children learn soccer in formal environments with substantially structured coaching. I have watched them learn to surf without instruction.
To this day, I am not convinced I know which is better when considering all that matters.
In my inflated self-importance do I lean toward the structured environment? Do I give too much information? As a coach do I believe so highly of myself that my babble begins to wander to the point of being unproductive? Short answer, yes.
Most adults believe that our intervention adds value.
But does it to the extent that we think it does?
My kids are in the background playing ping pong and singing at this very moment. They are fine. They can ping without me. They pong perfectly well. They cannot sing. No, I mean they are painfully poor vocalists.
I am not sure what I want to say except that perhaps we need to step back a bit more than we do. Maybe my best coaching is no coaching.
I am not dismissing great coaches or purposeful instruction.
I am just taking a breath to let the kids breathe a bit.
Just let them be.
Like I said, I have a learning laboratory. For me, I meant.