Serena Williams Admits the Bad Parenting Habit She Has To ‘Shake Out Of’ With Daughters Olympia & Adira
Nobody is perfect at parenting. Even if you do your best to avoid the mistakes your own parents made with you, chances are, you’re just going to mess up your own kids in new and different ways. (It’s the circle of life!) Serena Williams isn’t immune either. The 23-time Grand Slam champion got vulnerable about the one parenting habit that she is trying to change with daughters Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, and she’s never felt more relatable.
The tennis star, who shares her daughters with husband Alexis Ohanian, chatted about her daughters on Wednesday’s episode of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle. “The older one is so sweet, Olympia is so sweet,” Williams said, per PEOPLE.
“She’s the best big sister! And then the little one, Adira, she’s feisty, but she’s nice,” the Wyn Beauty founder continued. “I mean, I’m obsessed.”
The only problem? Being the younger sister of Venus Williams, the mom of two tends to favor her younger daughter too. “I’m the youngest, so I always have to make sure that I’m not being, you know, not necessarily favorites, but being too nice,” Williams admitted. “’Let her have it! Let her do it!’ Because Olympia will be like, ‘No!’ And I’m like, ‘No, let her do it!'”
“Because you’re talking to yourself, right?” host Jenna Bush Hager asked.
“Yes! I feel like I’ve gotta shake out of that, which is just a whole new ballgame,” Williams responded.
This isn’t the first time Williams has spoken about trying not to favor her younger daughter. After being named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in April 2025, the Serena Ventures founder revealed that Olympia’s behavior toward Adira can be “triggering” for her.
“When Olympia tells Adira no, I’m just like, ‘Excuse me, you have to share’ because it’s triggering,” Williams told Time. “I try to be less on baby, but she’s just so cute,” Williams went on. “How do you not give her all the attention in the world? Oh my God. It’s so hard.”
In the same interview, Williams praised her own motherhood skills, setting a wonderful example for us all. “I’m a wonderful mom,” Williams said. “I think we, as women, don’t give ourselves credit, but I’m a great mom. I really am.”
Yes, queen! Knowing when you have things to work on and actively trying to change that for the better for your kids is admirable. Nobody is perfect, yes, but we can all strive to be better every day. And Williams is truly an inspiration for that.
Before you go, check out these fun facts about Serena Williams’ daughter Olympia.