As a mom, I’ve had a front-row seat to what sports can teach kids, often without them even realizing they’re learning.
My daughter Alexandra and my son Evan both played lacrosse, along with other sports over the years. My husband, Gerry, has coached them, too. As a middle school teacher and certified coach, he’s also seen firsthand what sports can bring out in kids.
I’ve watched my daughter work through a frustrating game, reset and keep going. I’ve watched my son learn that sometimes the best play is making the pass, trusting a teammate and celebrating someone else’s success.
And then there are the friendships. The teammates who become friends. The coaches who become role models. The feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.
Those are the things that stay with you.
Yes, kids learn how to throw, shoot, run and compete. But they’re also learning how to handle disappointment, communicate, work with others, manage emotions and try again when things don’t go their way.
That’s one of the reasons I’m so drawn to 2-4-1’s approach. Sports and play give kids a natural place to build these skills while doing something they enjoy.
Not every kid will play the same sport. Not every kid will play in high school, college or beyond. And they don’t need to be the best player on the field. What matters is having the opportunity to play, find something they enjoy and discover what they’re capable of.
But all kids deserve the chance to play, connect, belong and discover what they’re capable of.
The score fades.
The lessons don’t.
About Mary Crean
Curiosity, persistence, and the desire to help others have afforded Mary a fulfilling and diverse career in business. Mary began her professional journey as a serial entrepreneur most notably in health and fitness, transforming people’s lives one at a time. Nonprofit executive leadership is where she spent the next decade helping people from marginalized communities work toward upward mobility. Most recently, Mary’s love of digging into marketing problems and solving them with technology led her to the insurance industry to help people meet their financial goals. A true believer in kids playing multiple sports, she and her husband Gerry coached and supported their kids Evan and Alex to play multiple sports that have included cross-country, squash, soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey and basketball. They went on to play D3 lacrosse at Emerson College and Mount Holyoke College. Mary holds a BS in Nutrition from the University of Saint Joseph and earned an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Post University. “My favorite memory of myself as a child is playing croquet with my older sister and two of our neighborhood besties every chance we got in the summer.”