Michael Phelps is looking forward to 2024 as the year when he and wife Nicole Phelps welcome their fourth baby.
“I feel like I’m the best me, the best version of myself, when I’m present and in the moment and now having four little homies running around, I want to be as present and as active as I can in their life,” the Olympian, 38, told Today in an interview published on Friday, December 22.
Michael and Nicole, 38, are already parents of sons Boomer, 7, Beckett, 5, and Maverick, 4. They confirmed in October that they are expecting another baby, which Michael teased to Today means that they will have enough kids for a “relay team” or a “golf foursome.”
Michael and Nicole, who are expecting their fourth boy, love life at home with their sons and have recently been working to teach them how to manage their emotions.
“We implemented the ‘lion breath’ with them a couple of years back. The lion breath is basically just a deep breath and you get to roar as loud as you can,” Michael said on Friday, noting the duo also are trying to teach Boomer, Beckett and Maverick to talk about their issues instead of physically fighting. “As a dad, it’s really cool to see them be able to just address the emotions that they have.”
Michael, an impassioned mental health advocate, wants his kids to know that it is alright to express emotions instead of hiding and ignoring them. “That was something that I did for almost two decades, maybe longer, and … it’s not really good to do that, it’s not safe to do that and it’s definitely not healthy to do that,” he said.
Michael further noted that he wants to give Boomer, Beckett, Maverick and baby No. 4 a “toolbox” to overcome various life challenges.
Prior to Nicole’s current pregnancy, she and Michael were hopeful about expanding their family.
“Nothing that’s written in stone right now. But I definitely wouldn’t count it out,” Michael, who married Nicole in 2016, exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2019. “I think at this point after Beckett, Nicole had said she was ready for another child. I have yet to hear those words come out of her mouth yet, so we’ll see.”
Learning of Nicole’s pregnancy must have been a dream for Michael, who absolutely loves being a father.
“Watching them and hearing the things that come out of their mouth [is the best],” he told Us at the time. “Just all the little small things about being a parent, even though it can be frustrating at times.”
