“I think it strengthened our marriage”- Michael Phelps' wife Nicole weighs in on how kids transformed her relationship with the Olympian

Michael Phelps' wife, Nicole, shared how their kids helped strengthen their marriage and see different versions of each other. Phelps, on and off with the former model since 2007, sorted out the differences to get engaged in 2015 and tie the knot in 2016.

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, shares four children with Nicole. The boys, Boomer, Beckett, Maverick, and Nico, often get featured in their parents' social media posts and even attend events and games. Since Phelps' competitive days, Nicole has been a regular fixture on the sidelines with their kids. In fact, at the Paris Olympics, the second Games the former didn't compete in, the parents took their youngest, Nico, for an experience in the sporting world.

Recently, Nicole Phelps conversed with Katie Krause Mork and Hallie Stevens Drake in the Between Us Moms podcast. The 2010 Miss California explained how her relationship with Michael Phelps strengthened during parenting.

"I really, I think it's strengthened our marriage. I think it makes you realize that, you know, the things that you used to worry about prior to kids of like, oh, do they care about the way that I look crying or do they care about, you know, whatever. I just woke up out of bed, and I look like this versus I look like this. I've done my face for you. And I think there's a variance as to what you realize they actually care and don't care about. So I think that that's a beautiful piece that comes through that," she said (beginning 27:55).

Michael Phelps' wife Nicole shared how the couple thought of preparing their eldest son Boomer for a future in soccer

Phelps couple and Boomer at 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials - Swimming - Day 1 - (Source: Getty)

Michael Phelps' dominance still resonates in the sporting world, even eight years after his retirement. The day is not far when Phelps' sons would feel the pressure in the sporting realm because of their father's greatness.

In the Between Us Moms podcast, Nicole shared that their eldest son, Boomer, has a flair for soccer. She added that the couple has started introducing him to the competitiveness he will encounter in the future.

"Boomer wishes to be a professional soccer player, and I hope that if that's what he wants to continue to do, that's where he lands. With that, both Michael and I recognize the amount of pressure that will come with it, and we hope to kind of wade those waters with him today and teach him, versus waiting until he's 16 years old, and it's like, my dad's Michael Phelps, why am I not the best? So it's, how can we help you become the best over these next few years versus you will be the best.." she said (beginning 3:05).

Nicole Phelps has seen her husband struggle with his mental health during his competitive years and supported him in those tumultuous times.