I've just begun coaching a 7th and 8th grade girls lacrosse team. I don't know anything about the sport, but my daughter asked me to volunteer as an assistant. Of course, in reality, that means I volunteered to be the coach.
Not knowing lacrosse is only a minor problem. Most of the girls on the team have an idea what they are doing and my job is to motivate them to do it right. The problem is, it's a junior high girl's team. After two practices of facing every thing from defiant attitudes, lack of desire, comments about the weather, and cliquish behavior, I asked my 12 year old daughter, "Do all junior high girls have an attitude?"
Her response came without hesitation. "Duh!"
The good news is, I can laugh my way through most of that.
