Father of Three, Michael Phelps Once Reasoned Why He Can Never Be a Mentor: “I Was Super Bratty, Annoying Little Kid”

Decorated Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Michael Phelps was a troublesome kid. Growing up with ADHD, the athlete displayed signs of restlessness since his youth. Knowing how difficult it was to handle a child like himself, Phelps once reflected on the prospects of becoming a coach.

In the future, if ever the opportunity arises, the swimming champion would never want to take up the responsibility of mentorship. He explained the why angle way back in 2012 in an interview with Anderson Cooper from CBS News. The interview was an episode aired in Tune in to Sixty Minutes.

Michael Phelps steered clear of mentorship

As Phelps remarked on whether or not he sees himself as a coach someday, he was pretty clear-headed as he instantly negated the prospects of being a mentor altogether. He goes on to explain why. One of the primary reasons why the idea did not interest him was informed by his own nature back when he was just a kid.

As the Flying Fish explained CBS’s Anderson Cooper, he said, “No, ‘cause I know how I was as a kid. I was a super bratty annoying little kid.”  “I just don’t see myself like being able to, I guess, deal with that,” Continued the retired athlete, “Not if he is anything like I was back as a kid. No shot!”

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The Baltimore Bullet is married to model Nicole Johnson. Among their three beautiful baby boys, their eldest, Boomer Robert Phelps, is only a 6-year-old who has already taken a liking to the pool under his father’s guidance. However, daddy Phelps once said he would never wish to coach future generations. All there is to say is that time has indeed changed his perspective!

One way or another, the legacy shall rise

Phelps might not want to shoulder the responsibility of mentorship and follow the footsteps of his coach Bob Bowman. Regardless, his son Boomer, being a careful observant of his father, has already picked up some of his swimming skills.

Born on May 5th, 2016, Boomer had already developed a knack for being around water and turned his dad into a coach. “So the other day we are out there and he has his little swimmers on and he started doing the butterfly motion and then he pointed back and forth and told me to start swimming… so he gets it,” Phelps commented.

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Whether or not the Flying Fish chooses to become a full-time swimming coach in the future is something that can only be tested with time. Nevertheless, it is beautiful to see his legacy shaping up right next to him. Michael Phelps retired from competitive swimming in 2016, while holding an all-time record with 28 Olympic medals.