mother and son

Did you catch the interview that Bob Costas did with Michael Phelps and his mother, Debbie, that aired on Sunday? Having observed Michael intently scan the crowd in order to locate his mother each time he prepared to mount the podium to receive yet another gold medal, it was obvious to me that the two had a deep connection, and the interview shed even more light on this wonderful parent-child relationship.

When Debbie returns to Baltimore from Beijing this week, she will immediately report for duty at Windsor Mills Middle School outside Baltimore, where she serves as principal. During the interview, Michael spoke with pride about his mother's dedication to her students and her incredible work ethic, and he talked about how much he had learned from her example. You expect a mother to praise her child effusively, but it was refreshing to hear a child - an Olympic champion, nonetheless - to publicly offer accolades for his mother. They clearly have a mutual admiration society, with each one drawing strength and inspiration from the other.

When the interview was over, I declared that it was my second favorite thing about the Olympics thus far, ranking just behind the Opening Ceremony. My son was incredulous. How could I like this interview more than one of the actual events - perhaps one of Michael's own gold medal-winning performances? I told him that when I watch the Olympics, I think not only about the sacrifices that the athletes have made but also about the sacrifices that their parents made - sacrifices of time, money, and energy - that enabled these athletes to have the opportunity to appear on the global stage. 

My son was nonplussed. That's okay. One day when he becomes a parent, he will understand. In the meantime, I'll keep rooting for Debbie Phelps, who has already helped her own three children successfully navigate the journey from childhood to young adulthood and continues to influence the lives of the students at Windsor Mills Middle School. She is my kind of hero.