To those of you who celebrate, I hope your family had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday. I want to express my gratitude to you for being part of this TIME Parents community—for sharing your stories with me, and for taking the time to read mine. It sometimes feels as though kindness is in short supply, and parents are prone to judging one another, and I'm thankful for this safe and supportive space.
Today's the type of day for binge-watching tv in my household. Enjoy my colleague's take on what King Richard, out now on HBO Max, can teach us about parenthood. Sean wrote this note for More to the Story, TIME's newsletter about pop culture. (Sign up here!) —Andrea Delbanco
King Richard's Parenting Lessons
By Sean Gregory
Though I've interviewed Venus and Serena Williams on multiple occasions as a sports writer for TIME, I've never had the opportunity to talk to their father Richard, who famously set out on a longshot plan to teach his daughters to become tennis superstars. (The family defied all odds). After watching King Richard , the new biopic about Richard Williams that stars Will Smith in the titular role, I found myself wondering what I'd want to ask Richard, 79, who has largely retreated from public life in the past few years. The film, which counts Venus, Serena and older sister Isha Price as executive producers, strives to give viewers insight on some of the serious challenges Richard faced: gang leaders in Compton, Calif.—where Venus and Serena grew up—who assaulted him on the local courts; coaches who didn't share Richard's belief in the potential of his daughters; well-heeled parents on the junior tennis circuit who didn't exactly welcome the presence of two dominant Black players and their outspoken father.
Two big questions beyond the scope of this movie—which covers only the period up to the very start of Venus' professional career—stand out in my mind. One, for all the triumphs that Venus and Serena have enjoyed throughout their careers, and there have been plenty, they've had to deal with things like racism, frightening healthissues and tragedy . As a father, which of his daughters' struggles hurt him the most? What did he say to them during these inflection points?
And also, I'd love to ask Richard if he ever would have imagined, say, 20 years ago, that Venus and Serena would still be chasing championships at 41 and 40, respectively?
We might have to wait for the sequel for these answers. Given the Oscar buzz that Smith is generating for his performance, and the strong chance that King Richard will be a hit—it releases in theaters and on HBO Max on Nov. 19, a family-friendly film out in time for the Thanksgiving break—a follow-up movie doesn't seem implausible.
In researching a piece about the parenting dos and don'ts that can be gleaned from Richard's real life, and the film version, I came across a fascinating piece of Williams lore that is actually reenacted in King Richard. A smiling, 14-year-old Venus tells a TV interviewer that she knows she can beat her next opponent. "Very confident," he remarks. "I'm very confident," Venus replies.
"You say it so easily," the reporter said. "Why?"
This exchange sets off Richard, who barges into the interview to berate the reporter. My journalist hat says it's very fair to ask someone why they are so confident. But my dad hat understands Richard's point of view. Probing the precious psyche of such a young teen could cause harm. Maybe Venus starts overthinking things. Maybe doubt creeps in. "Let her be a kid!" he says. "She answered it with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone!"
Sometimes, you have to fight for your children. Discomfort's just part of the deal.
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