Michael Phelps was raised by his single mother, Debbie Phelps, along with his two sisters. His sisters were already deeply involved in the sport of swimming so he practically followed them into the pool when he was 3. Who knew he’d end up winning 82 medals in major international long course competitions, and becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time?

Phelps’ parents separated when he was only 9 years old. His father, Michael Fred Phelps, remarried in the year 2000. Phelps’ mother, Debbie, hadn’t seen such a big change coming.

Debbie Phelps’ relationship with Michael Phelps’ father

Michael Phelps’ mother, Debbie, is a principal at a Baltimore-area middle school. She did a telephonic interview with The Associated Press back in 2009, sharing her experience as a single mother of three.

She spoke of her relationship with her ex-husband and how they had been together for a long time. “The man I married, who was the father to my three children, he was like my knight in shining armor,” Debbie said. “He was my high school sweetheart. We were together a long time.” 

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But the longevity of a relationship can not guarantee its strength. “But what I found is that when you get married sometimes, instead of growing closer, you grow apart. That happens in a lot of marriages around the country and probably around the world.” 

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Debbie explained how she wasn’t expecting her marriage to fall apart, but it was something she couldn’t control. “When that whole thing happened, I was surprised, I was shocked, it was not what I expected.”

How Debbie coped with the divorce

Debbie Phelps believes that there are two ways of handling tragedy. She expressed, “Now, what do you do when something goes wrong in your life? Some people go into deep depression. They can’t process the whole thing. Or you can accept it and try to move forward in your life.”

When Phelps’ mother was only 20 years old, she lost her father. Her mother was unemployed, but with her resources, she stretched the budget and made the best out of the tragedy. Drawing from that experience, Debbie has made changes in her life after the divorce.

She quit her job as a teacher at a high-performing middle school. Instead, she began teaching kids from more underprivileged sections of society. She went back to school to pursue her master’s degree. This allowed her to further her career as a principal and school administrator.

The values she gained from her mother helped her cope with two heavy tragedies in her life. Debbie Phelps claimed she wanted to raise her kids with the same values so they can be strong and self-sufficient.

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