Debbie Phelps: A Single Mom Raises a Sports Phenomenon

As the world watched fellow Olympian Michael Phelps swim his way down a golden path, I am pretty sure many mothers and fathers were already gearing their children to be the next replica of this athlete. What started out as having something to do at the age of eleven, turned Michael Phelps into a person who has more to give.

Michael Phelps's mother, Debbie Phelps, is a middle-school principal in the outskirts of Baltimore, MD. She knows offhand what students are thinking, especially in the pre-teen stage. It was not by coincidence when she realized her only son Michael had a lot of energy to burn and would excel at it by swimming in the local swim club. Teachers deemed him as not being able to focus, sit still, or just plain not listening and lacking focus. Diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, (ADHD), he was put on medication. ADHD is a condition, founded in children at an early age, that makes it harder for them to focus. Sometimes this disorder is treated with a medication called Ritalin, used to help a child to focus, especially in school. Once Michael made the decision on his own to not want to take medication anymore, he focused. Then he excelled. Pity those that tried to downplay this young man as a child who was overly hyped.

I am sure Debbie Phelps realized by then that her son had a natural gift. Although she wanted Michael to be a growing child, her child, she also saw how much Michael adorned his natural talent. So she let him swim. His coach, Bob Bowman was able to foresee the future in this bright young man. Debbie, still wanted her son to just be her son.

I remember watching Michael Phelps in the first Olympics. He had a sweet boyish look and probably was wondering if he would win any medals against contenders who had been training for years. Learning from his mistakes, which were slim to none, Michael, back then, already had the world's attention. He was only fifteen at the time.

And although Bob Bowman played a huge hand in getting him to where he is at now, he owes all credibility to his courageous mother. The mother who probably pretended not to worry what her son would be like when he grew up. The mother who taught all of her children values and morals, especially in competitive sports. A mother, single by way of divorce, who indeed believed in her son the very day he told her, "Mom I want to compete in the Olympics and bring home eight gold medals."

As a single mother myself, I know her heart was overwhelmed with joy every time Michael competed. Probably did not matter whether he won or lost in her eyes. And every time he touched that wall and poke his head out of the water, I know she saw her same little boy who was deemed not able to focus. I also know she saw the same little boy who started swimming to burn off some energy at the age of eleven and was now an Olympic Champion for many years to come.

Resources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/sports/olympics/10Rparent.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication.shtml