“I want to be the GOAT at something else. And for me, that’s being a mom right now.” These were the words of a proud mother, Serena Williams, last year, and not the 23-time Slam-winning American icon. Since hanging up her racket in 2022, the 43-year-old former WTA legend’s main focus remains to become a great mother.
Time and again, she’s echoed the sentiment, saying, “I am obsessed with my children. I spend all day with them,” and it becomes evident from her latest admission as well. Once, she even credited her father, King Richard’s impact on her motherhood. But how?
ReRe took to her Instagram on Friday and shared a brief clip from her interaction with Gavin Rossdale. The latter is a prominent musician known for his band Bush. Lately, he’s begun a new show, Dinner with Gavin Rossdale, where will talk to notable figures over different aspects of life. To kick off his first season, he had none other than Serena Williams on his first show.
In the short video shared on Williams’ story, she was seen discussing motherhood with Rossdale and how much it’s turned her into a loving mom. “I was definitely born to be a mom. If you thought I was born to be a tennis player, I was born to be a mom.”
She added talking about her parenting style, “I really believe in communicating in a loving way. I don’t know, I’m just like, completely different from my parents.” Perhaps she was referring to her childhood where her father Richard followed a rather stricter routine to train her and Venus, to become great tennis players. But guess what?
Her father instilled a unique quality that she later incorporated as a mother. “For instance, when I was growing up, my dad always made us listen to songs in the car. Not all the time, but sometimes we would listen to like learning songs, like whether there were math songs.” But how did this routine affect her motherhood?
“Looking back, I like had this math song that I wanted to play for Olympia when she was younger. And I was like ‘Oh my god! I’m just like my dad.’” Isn’t it interesting how you unintentionally adopt a parenting trait from your father? But there are certain life lessons as well she ended up inheriting from him!
When Serena Williams reflected on valuable lessons taught by her father
Serena Williams witnessed a lot of off-court success after making a name for herself in tennis. Brand deals became a part of her lifestyle thanks to her unparalleled fame. But it wasn’t the case in the early years. She had to learn to regard vital tips regarding finances and managing money. Talking to Bloomberg, last year in May, Williams revealed, “I remember having to figure that out and having to learn how to manage from a very early age and not get crazy with it, and so he empowered us to do that.”
“I’m 16, my dad is negotiating, they’re going back and forth, and he wants me there for the whole time to make sure I know what to do in the future,” she added. “I learned early on that your paycheck from tennis — maybe that’s why I forgot them — should be your smallest earning,” which becomes clear from Williams’ own admission.
In the same interview, she revealed that “money was never the motivation” for her. “I remember when I first started back in the day, they used to write out checks after you won your tournament and I would always forget to take checks. So they would always have to say, Serena, we have all these checks”
What are your thoughts about her father Richard’s inspirational influence on Serena? Isn’t it simply amazing to have a guiding father figure like him?
The post Serena Williams Embraces Motherhood With a Powerful Tribute to Father King Richard – ‘Born to Be a Mom’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.
