I have been a coach's wife pretty much since the time I got married. Andrew had coached football while we were dating, and although he took two years off right after we married, he started coaching again after those two years. Even in the years since he gave up coaching high school football, he was often coaching one of our kids in an activity. The man is a coach.
I learned early on about being a coach's wife. At the high school games, the coaches' wives and families always sat together. It basically was the assistant coaches' families sitting in a ring around the head coach's family. The coaching families don't necessarily want to sit near players' families, because sometimes there is complaining about the coaching. I can speak from experience when I say it can be challenging not to take that personally. The players' families don't want to sit the near coaching families either...it is a mutual understanding. The head coach is the one really making the decision, and that is why his family is the most insulated. It is an unspoken part of the coaching experience.
Things tend to be a little better at the rec league, and of course certain sports tend to bring on less ire than others. Football though, is one of the most challenging in my opinion. There is never a lack of opinions from parents in the stands about how things should be done. I am a player's mother, but I am also a coach's wife, and our son is not a talented player. It is an interesting dynamic in our lives right now and to be honest, it is one I won't miss when the season is over!
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