She’s still staying afloat
Debbie Phelps got plenty of face time during the Olympics. Now, in the wake of her son’s eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, she’s putting out a book relating the experiences of a single mother raising three kids, one of whom turned out to be the greatest swimmer ever.
“A Mother For All Seasons” hits the shelves Tuesday, and Michael Phelps’ mom even touches on the embarrassment of her son being photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
“Yes, it’s an obstacle, a speed bump,” she says from the Baltimore-area middle school where she serves as principal. “But things happen for a reason. This is something that all parents go through in some form, it just doesn’t happen to most people after your son has won eight gold medals at the Olympics.”
The photo turned up in a British tabloid on Feb. 1, severely damaging the reputation of an athlete who broke the record for the most gold medals at one Olympics.
It was the second major faux pas for Phelps, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving after winning six golds at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Debbie Phelps was livid when her son called with news of his DUI arrest. It was another blow when she learned of his latest troubles.
But she made sure to express her love and understanding, especially when he lost a major sponsor and was suspended for three months.
“I told him how much I loved him. He knows he has my support and anything he needs. A mother is always there for her children. Michael knew that, but he needed to hear it.”
Her book tells of an idyllic childhood growing up in a small town in western Maryland, then having to deal with two traumatic blows: the untimely death of her father at age 51, and a divorce that left her a single parent raising two daughters and a son.
“My mother had no profession,” Phelps writes. “When my father died, there she was. I watched her make five dollars out of one dollar, a dollar out of 10 cents. She stretched a budget.
“But she also taught me so much about how to embrace life: have faith, believe in God and we will get through this as a family.”
Those lessons were invaluable to Phelps when her marriage fell apart.
“The man I married, who was the father to my three children, he was like my knight in shining armor,” she says. “He was my high school sweetheart. … But what I found is that when you get married sometimes, instead of growing closer, you grow apart.”
Drawing on her mother’s experience, Phelps made some major changes. As a teacher, she felt more fulfilled after switching to a school where many students came from underprivileged backgrounds. She also returned to college to get her master’s degree, leading to a new career as an administrator.
“I definitely can see I am my mother in so many ways,” Phelps says. “The things she taught me as I was growing up, I’ve passed those on to my three children.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Lyle Waggoner (“The Carol Burnett Show”) is 74. Actor Paul Sorvino is 70. Actor Tony Dow (“Leave It To Beaver”) is 64. Musician Al Green is 63. Actor Ron Perlman is 59. Conan O’Brien bandleader Max Weinberg is 58. Actress Saundra Santiago (“Miami Vice”) is 52. Actress Page Hannah (TV’s “Fame”) is 45. Actress-comedian Caroline Rhea is 45. Actor Rick Schroder is 39. Singer Aaron Lewis (Staind) is 37. Singer Nellie McKay is 27.