On the court and off in her biggest role as a mom, Serena Williams is a champ. She might be a very famous mom and tennis icon, but her views on motherhood and the challenges of balancing mom life and work are completely relatable and empowering.
Here are a few of our favorite inspiring quotes from this superstar mama.
On Work-Life Balance
“I still have to learn a balance of being there for her, and being there for me. I’m working on it. I never understood women before, when they put themselves in second or third place. And it’s so easy to do. It’s so easy to do.”
Learning how to take care of your own needs while caring for another human being can be challenging, but as they grow and become more independent it gets easier.
On the Terrible Twos
“They’re just kids who can’t really communicate and they don’t know how to—they’re so close and they want you to understand what they’re saying. And you don’t get what they’re saying, and then they fall on the ground and they don’t know what else to do. I feel sorry for them because I’m like, ‘I’m trying to understand what you’re saying’ and they literally learn our whole language—they learn everything from scratch—and we don’t learn their language, they learn ours. It’s a pretty amazing thing to me. I’m learning a lot.”
Her own mom warned her about the terrible twos, but this superstar is taking it in stride with an awesome point of view.
On the Hard Days
Speaking of her Wimbledon loss: “I dedicated that to all the moms out there who’ve been through a lot. Some days, I cry. I’m really sad. I’ve had meltdowns. It’s been a really tough 11 months. If I can do it, you guys can do it too.”
Not every moment of motherhood is easy or fun, but there’s always a new day waiting to wash away the stress and guilt of the day before.
On Being an Advocate for Working Moms
“It would be nice to recognize that women shouldn’t be treated differently because they take time to bring life into this world.”
The US Open changed their policies after Williams spoke out. The only way to create equality in the workplace is to make our voices heard and it’s inspiring to see her use her wide-reaching audience to advocate for moms.
On Societal Pressure
“I hated that I fell victim to that. It puts a lot of pressure on women, young and old.”
All moms, but especially celebrity moms are given a lot of pressure to immediately return to their pre-pregnancy bodies.
On Her Living Room
“Sometimes I have to throw my hands in the air. #thismama used to have a living room. Now I just have a play room. When did that happen?”
Toys might take over your life, but it’s all worth it.
On the Challenging Moments
“Kids humble us. The other day on a flight home Olympia insisted on running up and down the aisle and when I finally got her to sit still, she threw up all over me.”
Motherhood is not easy, but Williams honesty about the challenges can help other moms feel like they’re not alone.
On Being Your Best Self
“Nothing about me is perfect. But I’m perfectly Serena.”
Learning to embrace yourself for who you are, flaws and all, is a difficult, but important lesson of motherhood.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Serena Williams via Instagram
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