Day-3 The Williams’ Sisters
Today I completed a fascinating internship article, and I couldn't have been prouder of myself. Hence, as a treat, I got myself to watch King Richard- The movie chronicles the early lives of the young Williams sisters- Venus and Serena.
One particular aspect of Richard’s personality (their father) that caught my attention was that despite him knowing that his girls were talented and prepared to play big tournaments- he did not let them. He believed pushing them at such impressionable age into the big league will leave them burnt out(they were somewhere between 9 to 13 years at that time).
He wanted his daughters to grow up like normal kids enjoying the little joys of life, while also continuing to train- but training for tennis wasn’t just the only motive of their life, there was so much more to it. He believed that they should study, go to school, swim, go to Disney land like any other usual kid their age.
Being a prodigy at one thing(tennis, in their case) doesn’t mean you won’t allow them to develop in other facets of life. They needed to be well educated- something Richard firmly stood for in the movie. As it goes, the movie also mentions that Venus could speak 4 languages.
A child tennis prodigy who beat world no. 1 seed at 14 years of age coming straight out of a complete hiatus from competitive matches for 3 years- while also being able to speak 4 languages. Tell me how you cannot be awestruck by Venus Williams or her father’s upbringing.
On a contemporary note- for parents who send VIth- VIIth graders to JEE coaching, prevent them to participate in other aspects of life as that will supposedly lead to distraction.
Well, I do not know about their JEE performance, some fare well, some crumble under the pressure but one thing for sure is that their overall growth gets stunted. Such parents can maybe learn a lesson or 2 from this movie.
King Richards is not as much a sports biopic as it is a parenting guide.
Life Updates-
It has been raining almost continuously for almost 3 days now, now I am pining to go outside and play basketball or at least do something, anything at all.
One last confirmation- is sleeping 4 hours in the afternoon normal?
