Being a parent is honestly one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever have. You’re forced to learn on the job, and there are are no days off, (unless you count a few extra hours of sleep on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day). Even on the best days, you can find yourself second guessing yourself, because after all, the stakes are high as hell – you have another person’s life in your hands.
Four-time Grand Slam singles champ Naomi Osaka, who celebrated her 26th birthday on October 16, recently revealed that she has struggled with self-doubt since she and rapper Cordae welcomed daughter Shai into the world in July.
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The tennis star took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on October 22 to reflect on another turn around the sun and her newest role – mom.
“Something I had to conquer recently is fighting the thought that I won’t be a good mom. So many doubts raced through my head I had to swat them away like mosquitoes,” she wrote in English and Japanese. “Looking into Shai’s eyes and holding her, I always think, ‘Wow this little person depends on me so much, I have to do better.’ It’s such a strange feeling watching your kid grow, you blink, and they’re double the size in a few months.”
Fortunately, Osaka got plenty of advice and encouragement from fans in the comments who admitted to having similar feelings. But some of the best advice came from one person who wrote, “A wise pediatrician once said, only good parents worry about being bad parents. You won’t be perfect, but you’ll be fine. Unfortunately, there’s no practice court for parenting, but many wise women. One raised you.”
Osaka ended her post by thanking fans for their continuous support.
“Gratefulness reminds me to breathe and take in the little things (and the big ones). I’m so grateful to have another year, and I’m so thankful to everyone that believes in me,” she wrote.
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