Lawson finds similarities between coaching, parenting

Bryan Lawson with his wife Becky and their son Corbin and daughter Kinsley. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Lawson)
Bryan Lawson with his wife Becky and their son Corbin and daughter Kinsley. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Lawson)

Bryan Lawson said it is fun coaching his own children.

Lawson and his wife of 16 years, Becky, are both from California. They have two children, an 11-year-old son, Corbin, and a 9-year-old daughter, Kinsley.

Lawson is the eighth-grade girls basketball coach for California and said there are some similarities between being a coach and being a parent.

"Everything you do, you do for the kids," Lawson said. "You try to teach them life lessons through basketball as you would at home. You try to teach them to be a good teammate, to be a good brother, be a good sister. Try to teach them to work hard, to value their success through hard work and dedication and discipline and always try to teach your players and your kids at home to be coachable, to listen, to have a good attitude and to show good effort."

Lawson said being a parent has helped with coaching.

"You know before when I first started coaching I did not have kids and so now as I get older and I have coached for 16-20 years; now it becomes more of what some of the parents were talking about earlier. You have a little more empathy for the kids. You are a little more patient toward the players," Lawson said. "You kind of walk in those other parents' shoes that have done this before."

Lawson said he has coached his kids in sports outside of schools as he volunteers at the California Park and Recreation programs.

"We do it for the kids, we volunteer our time for the kids. It is fun to see those kids work for their success and see those kids grow on the court or on the field," Lawson said. "I could not do it without my wife, Becky. She has been very supportive. I have coached Corbin and Kinsley since they were very little. During the winter time, I had my hands wrapped around five teams at once."

"We have a wonderful California recreation department that our city provides and that provides great opportunities for our kids," Lawson said. "We are lucky as a community to have those types of programs, and we could not do it without all the support from the parents and those who volunteer."

Lawson said it can be hard to coach his own children, but it is fun.

"It is difficult at times because I think you expect a little bit more out of your own kids than what you do with someone else's kids," Lawson said. "I try not to get wrapped up in that too much, but it is a lot of fun standing on the side lines and coaching Corbin and Kinsley. It is good to see them have that success because they try so hard to help their team be successful."