Michael Phelps retired from swimming in 2016. But as the father of sons Boomer, 23 months, and Beckett nine weeks, the 32-year-old isn’t done with early wake-up calls. “The first couple of days when Beckett first came home were rough, just with the sleeping,” the most decorated Olympian of all time told Us Weekly earlier this month. On the bright side, Phelps and his wife, Nicole Johnson, haven’t had to deal with any sibling rivalry.
“They are doing really well. Booms is a great big brother and wants to help with whatever Nicole and I are doing with Beckett,” the athlete told Us. But to avoid any jealousy issues, Phelps makes sure to carve out alone time with his first-born, who will celebrate his second birthday in May. “Boomer and I will get early in the morning and I will make his breakfast,” Phelps shared. “We start our day together.”
He much prefers getting up with Boomer to 5 a.m. swim workouts. “I don’t miss waking up early and jumping into a cold pool!” exclaimed Phelps.
Those days, of course, are officially behind him — and the door is closed on the 2020 Olympics. “I have accomplished everything I want to do in the sport and I’m enjoying retirement,” said the swimmer, who has 28 medals in his trophy case.
Instead he’s using his platform to raise awareness for Colgate’s Save Water campaign as a global ambassador for the brand. “When you brush your teeth in the morning, just turning off the faucet will save 64 gallons of water,” Phelps told Us, adding that Boomer is very involved.
“Colgate has a sticker that goes in the sink and if the water stays on too long, the color will change,” Phelps explained of the sticker available at Walmart. “He is very aware of the color and it’s just great to see how into it he is!”
With reporting by Jen Heger.
