“This Isn’t Going to Happen”- Michael Phelps’ Mother Turned Down Coach Bowman’s Big Plans for Swimming Legend

Parents expect the best outcome for their children, both in life and in career. Sometimes parents push their kids to pursue goals that their children might not be interested in. The practice can negatively impact a child’s conditioning and leave them feeling inadequate. However, Michael Phelps’ mother is against this practice, as evident in an interview.

Pushiness in parents is seen as a way to make their kids live their dreams while blatantly disregarding the wants of their children. Although professionals specializing in child psychology discourage the practice, it is still prevalent in most parts of the world.

How Phelps’ mother responded to coach Bowman’s plan?

Moreover, some people attribute a child’s success to having pushy parents. But the mother of the most successful Olympian, Debbie Phelps, dismissed this theory during a previous interview.

Addressing this concern, Debbie said, “Children have to do what they enjoy. You have to let your kids find what’s best for them and what their own niche is.”

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Debbie is a former athlete who has played various sports, including volleyball, basketball, and the high jump. Therefore, she understands the issues associated with pressurizing one’s kids to pursue something that fails to pique their interest.

Moreover, she recalled the time when Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, came up to her and Michael’s father to discuss the future of their son in competitive swimming. The future Olympian was only 11 years old at the time, but the coach saw a budding talent in the young swimmer.

Therefore, Bowman wanted to devise a plan for the future of GOAT’s swimming career up to 2012. However, the discussion with Phelps’ mother did not turn out the way the coach had expected. Debbie started laughing hearing Bowman’s words, and he inquired what the matter was.

Speaking about her reply to her son’s coach in the interview, Debbie said, “I told him, ‘If [Michael] doesn’t enjoy it, this isn’t going to happen!”

Debbie made the right decision for Michael Phelps

Phelps’ mother knew the importance passion played in one’s life. She was very much aware that it was not her decision to make. Debbie understood that it did not matter if she wanted her son to pursue a career choice.

After all, it was up to her son to make the decision for himself. She did not want him to chase a dream that was not his, to begin with. Lastly, she refused to pressurize her son into following a career that did not thrill him.

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Moreover, we would not have known Phelps as the person we do today if he had to chase a dream that was not his. He would have lost interest in the goal at hand and would have given it up shortly after. Therefore, his mother made the right call, leaving the decision to the young swimmer.