“I’m not ashamed of that” – When Michael Phelps opened up on the advices he would give his son Boomer

Michael Phelps is not just a great swimmer but also a great family man. Since his retirement in 2016, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist has been spending a lot of time with his family.

In a 2018 video on a YouTube channel called The Kennedy Forum Illinois, Phelps opened up on the advice he would give to his son Boomer, saying:

"When Boomer is old enough, I'm looking forward to sharing the experiences that I've had, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's made me who I am today, and I'm not ashamed of that, and... and the same goes for our future child."

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Michael Phelps talks about mental health and the advice to his son

Flying Fish Michael Phelps is considered one of the greatest freestyle swimmers of his time. Although he had a great career in sports, he's had his fair share of ups and downs with his mental health.

During the Kennedy Forum, Phelps spoke about the challenges that he faced during his time as a swimmer. He started off by speaking about his childhood journey and how he tackled the problems.

He said:

"I think for a long time, I carried kind of this like. I don't know if it was abandonment from, you know, from childhood and growing up and, and I didn't want rejection.

"And I carried all of these emotions on for so long but I think the biggest thing like, one of the biggest things now, it's like I'll ask a question if somebody says no, okay, you know, like if they can't help me, okay great, if they can't answer the question, great no problem."

Michael Phelps added what he wants to do in the future to help people suffering from mental health problems:

"Like I don't take any hard feelings to it and I think that was something that I did so much growing up as a kid and as a young adult. And you know, now I've kind of understood all of that and I've learned so much through this process.

"You know and I can't say it enough. I want to help as many people, as I can and and I love when people come up and share stories. And.. And that's something that's just a tree."

Later on, Michael Phelps was asked what he would advise his children when they grow up and how his professional life has affected his parenthood. He replied:

"I mean, for me number one as a parent, it's maybe 10 times stronger. And you know, I've learned so much about children and patience with children. I think that's that's one very challenging thing, that my wife and I have learned together."

Michael Phelps continued talking about the journey he and his wife are on and also what they are looking forward to:

"It's just gonna be, honestly like, this is a journey and in a road that we're both[his wife] so excited, and looking forward to just having these moments with, with our family."

Michael Phelps married Nicole Johnson, a former Miss California. They first met in 2007 but broke up in 2012. Later when they got back together, they got married in a secret wedding in 2016. They are also the parents to three adorable sons and two dogs.