Serena Williams' Recent Comment on Discipline Has Parents Divided

Parenting isn’t easy. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a regular mom in the Midwest or a superstar celebrity athlete likeSerena Williams. 

Even though she’s won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and four Olympic gold medals, Williams struggles with the same mommy-ing issues that the rest of us face. Serena is mom to two daughters—Alexis “Olympia” Ohanian, Jr. (born 2017) and Adira River Ohanian (born 2023) with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. 

Case in point, Williams recently shared a poignant parenting post to X, writing, “I told my daughter to go to bed. She did not, therefore, she missed out on her sleepover. She cried. But what she did not know is I cried harder. I hate when she cries. Discipline sucks. But sometimes it’s important.” 

I told my daughter to go to bed. She did not therefore, she missed out on her sleep over. She cried. But what she did not know is I cried harder. I hate when she cries. 💔 Discipline sucks. But sometimes it’s important.

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) April 27, 2026

Friends and fans took to X, applauding Williams and sharing their own experiences. One commenter wrote, “The greatest athlete of all time broken by a bedtime. You defeated every opponent on earth and a little girl in pajamas took her out…motherhood is humbling,” while another said, “A+ parenting, shoutout to you.” 

Plenty of parents commiserated with the mom, adding comments such as, “It sucks indeed but very important. We can’t avoid it,” “It does suck…but without it kids don’t learn boundaries. It’s our investment in them. Not to be popular Moms…but to be good Moms,” and, “Awww…I love that you’re sharing this! Many years ago my sister called me crying bc she had to follow through when she told her six-year-old that if she did something, she wouldn’t get to go to a sleepover. My niece did it, and so she had to miss the sleepover and was so upset. And my sister, her mom, was more so.” 

Of course, no post on social media is without its critics. And while most of the comments praised Williams, some shared a different view: “Why would she miss out? The sleep over wasn’t that night so you didn’t discipline you punished. You stopped ger going because she didn’t do as you asked.” 

Like other controversial topics, the naysayers sparked a bit of a backlash. Williams’ fans jumped in to defend the celebrity mom. One wrote, “What Serena Williams did was absolutely the proper way to discipline a child. I can tell you right now” and another added, “Soft parenting invited a host of ills. Good on Serena Williams. She knows, and you should pay attention.”