Serena Williams Reveals Why She Never Left Daughter Olympia for 24 Hours Until She Was 6 Years Old: ‘A Little Extreme’

The athlete, 44, joined Michelle Obama for a special live taping of IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, where she spoke with the former first lady about motherhood and how she balances her career with raising her two daughters. Williams shares her daughters, Adira, 2, and Olympia, 8, with husband Alexis Ohanian.

“I really try to be a present parent,” Williams began. “And sometimes that’s hard, especially with the lives that we live; it’s very hard to be present, but I try to be extremely present.”

Asked how she manages to stay present, Williams told Obama that everything

“I’m never gone more than 24 hours, ever,” she explained. “I didn’t leave Olympia until she was 6 for 24 hours. That may have been a little extreme, but that’s who I am.”

“And so for me, I show up as much as I can every single day for the girls. Because I feel like they mean the most to me, and I feel they need me, and they need to make sure, I wanna raise my children. I’m a person that’s raising my kids, and that’s teaching them how I want them to live and how I want them to be.”

Last month, Williams shared a carousel of rare family photos on Instagram recounting her Easter weekend. In one photo, Williams could be seen wearing a blue printed dress and a blue belt, posing in front of her two daughters.

Williams’ older daughter, Olympia, held up a peace sign, wearing a white dress with flowers. Her little sister, Adira, threw up her own mini peace sign, posing in a blue dress with flowers.

Another photo showed Williams and her two daughters standing alongside her husband. The Reddit co-founder smiled while holding Adira in the family photo.

“I don’t share these moments often, but being their mom is my favorite place to be,” Williams wrote in her caption. “I’m with them 363 out of 365 days a year — and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This weekend was everything.”