No parent at these Olympic Games is more proud right now than Debbie Phelps – intrepid mother of the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.
“He’s emerged really in this moment as a great icon and role model,” Access Hollywood’sBilly Bush reminds Mama Phelps.
”I am very proud,” Mama tells Billy. ”And there have been many moms who’ve come up to me — grandparents come to me and say, ‘You know, not only is your son a phenomenal athlete, not only do I enjoy him swimming, but I enjoy him as a young man.’ That’s one of the proudest moments you can have as a parent.”
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And this past Sunday brought a moment that Mama Phelps has more than earned, raising three children on her own since divorcing Michael’s father in 1994.
“Back in the States, Michael’s father gave a quote to the paper saying, ‘I watch him on pins and needles, I watch everything.’ He seems proud too. Is there a plan for Michael to celebrate this all with his dad? Or is he just out of the picture?” Billy asked Mama.
“I’m sure at the appropriate time and location there will be a celebration,” she replied.
[ All Access: 2008 Beijing Olympics - Michael Phelps - Athletes - Parenthood ]
With that answer you can feel the strength of Debbie Phelps, part of why Johnson’s Baby has named her the “official mom” of these Olympic Games!
But the true long-time father figure in Michael’s life has been coach Bob Bowman, who’s been with Michael since he was 11.
“He’s anal and he’s great,” Mama Phelps said. “He knows child psychology. He’s been looking ahead since Michael was 11.”
What has kept Bowman and Michael together all of these years? According to Mama Phelps, the fact that they believe in and trust each other.
“Bob was always there for Michael,” she continued. “Whatever Michael needed. Bob was a very integral part of our family.”
Debbie’s love for her youngest is palpable, and vice versa – Billy said that he was able to feel it from Michael too as Mama poked her head into Billy’s earlier interview with Michael.
“I’m going to New York on Wednesday to do media,” Mama said to Michael.
“Ahhh nice D.P.”
“You call her D.P.? That’s cute,” Billy interjects.
“She has D.P. moments in the stands,” Michael explained. ”It’s when she starts crying. It’s on a scale from one to ten!”
Mama also pointed out that having ADHD as a child helped Michael.
“It helped Michael to be able to put parameters around himself,” Mama Phelps explained.
“We just live every day to its fullest, and we try to keep it as normal as possible, that was my job in the household — to keep Michael very grounded, and to make him understand what he could possibly become.”
“Where would you like to see Michael in 10 years? What about in 33 years?” Billy asked Mama.
“Well, that’s a legacy question as to how is my son going to be. I’m assuming, he might be married. I’m assuming that he may be starting a family, but I feel that he will be a businessman. I’m looking for him to be a businessman on the worldwide scene, and I’m looking for him to still be connected to the sport that he loves,” she replied enthusiastically.
And though they’re sitting on top of the world now, it hasn’t all been easy. Right after winning six gold medals in Athens, Michael was sentenced to 18 months probation for a D.U.I. And being the man that he is, he took full responsibility for his mistake.
“I recognize the seriousness of this mistake. I’ve learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life,” Phelps told the judge back then as more than 100 spectators packed the courtroom, mostly just to have a chance to see the famed Olympic champion.
“It’s not the first misstep for a kid that age,” Billy pointed out to Mama. “What stopped him at that point, or who stopped him, from going down a bad path? In a way, were you pleased as to how he handled himself?”
“Yeah, oh absolutely,” she told Billy. “You raise a young man or young woman with strong values, and a sense of being… I could not be more proud of Michael, of how he handled that situation. That was a very difficult thing for him — it was very difficult for the family.”
It made them all stronger — which came in handy when Billy showed Mama a text to her son from actress Lindsay Lohan. Billy handed his Blackberry to Mama for her to read Lindsay’s message to Michael, and her reaction was priceless.
“Pardon the language but…” Billy said as he showed her the text.
Mama Phelps’ usually jubilant face turned horrified. “OK, Lindsay!!! — Delete! Delete! Delete!”
Lindsay’s crime? Telling her son he’s, ‘bleepin’ amazing’!
Another thing mom likes deleted? The Fu Manchu ‘stache that Michael shaved before his races began!
“I like him much more when he’s clean faced.”
“And I happen to like him with the Fu,” Billy told Mama Phelps.
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