McDonogh girls soccer coach Maurice Boylan knows making difficult decisions on roster cuts are part of the job. Last year, one decision was especially tough.
He cut his daughter, Lindsay, then a freshman.
When she tried out for the team again in August, Boylan got choked up for a different reason. This time, she made the team.
"I brought Lindsay over to talk to her, and ... I just started crying like a baby," said Boylan, in his 18th season. "I'm getting a rush thinking about it right now."
There are obvious challenges for the Boylans and other parents and kids who have a coach-player relationship. Among them is the possibility that the coaches show favoritism toward their children. Conversely, coaches might combat that perception by being too tough on their children.
"There's a fine line where you have to be careful," said River Hill girls soccer coach Brian Song, who has daughters Amy and Kellie on the team. "I don't treat my kids any different than any other players. I take their concerns just as with anybody else. And then we leave it out on the soccer field. When we get home, then we talk about it as father and daughters."
The opportunity to bond is the chief reward, said Dr. John Walkup, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins.
"I think the positives are that kids and parents sometimes have shared interest, and any time people can spend time together and around those shared interests is terrific," Walkup said. "That's the thing - the more time spent, the more shared interest, the better."
After the River Hill girls won their second straight state title last year - an emotional double-overtime victory over Eastern Tech - Amy Song, now a senior defender, enjoyed a highlight moment with her father that she will never forget.
"After we won, the first person I ran to was my dad," Amy said. "I felt like I wanted to be the one to give him that first hug."
Kellie Song, then a sophomore midfielder, wasn't far behind, with all three embracing soon after.
Soccer has also enriched the relationship between Loch Raven boys coach Joe Fiedler and his son, Tim, a senior sweeper.
"It's been great having him as a coach because we go home and soccer is something we relate to," Tim said.
"It's something that me and him enjoy doing together."
