Anyone, Regardless of Age, Could Learn From Serena Williams's Advice For Her Daughter

Serena Williams recognizes that she's being "annoying" when she says this, but she loved being pregnant. The tennis player recently shared some beautiful thoughts on motherhood and her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in Allure's February 2019 issue. "I loved everything about it. I was one of those weird people that loved being pregnant," Serena said. "After I came out [of the hospital], I had a stomach, but I thought, This is kind of cool. I have a stomach because the baby was there."

Serena is also realistic, however, about motherhood's many challenges. For starters, she said it was difficult to get back in shape following her daughter's birth. "I'm feeling pretty good about my body. I worked hard at it in the past eight months to get back from the baby," she said. "It hasn't been easy. I'm not 21 anymore. But I did it slow and steady." (For what it's worth, Serena won a grand slam match a mere eight months after giving birth.)

Serena also opened up about the advice she's imparting to her daughter. "I want her to know that being strong is never easy. Not in this world we are living in . . . Standing up for yourself is not going to be easy, but it's always eventually respected." She added, "When I tell her she's beautiful, I want to teach her that she's beautiful from the inside . . . Giving is beauty. Being kind and humble is the ultimate beauty."

Another piece of advice actually comes from her own mother, Oracene Price, who raised Serena and Venus Williams to become confident women. Serena said her mom helped them "really believe in ourselves, be proud of our heritage, our hair, and our bodies. That was something that was really important for her to teach us."