With Book, Debbie Phelps Reaches Own Goal

The Mother Of The Greatest Olympic Swimmer In History Wrote "A Mother For All Seasons"

(CBS)  Debbie Phelps, middle school principal, motivational speaker, and single mother who raised three children, including the greatest Olympic swimmer in history, is now a published author.

She has just written "A Mother for All Seasons: A Memoir."

Encouragement from others was the push that Phelps needed to write a book, although she knew she had it in her all along.

When Phelps asked herself what the book be about, she thought about her career in education and said "educators like to be published and also it was a goal."

"So three-prong reasons," she told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

As a single mom raising three children, Phelps had to make some serious decisions in life, such as how to provide for her family and at the same time how she was going to take care of herself.

"Well, first of all, parenting isn't easy," Phelps admitted. "Whether you're by yourself or whether you're with your spouse, doesn't make any difference. It was just prioritizing, sequencing and taking care of everyone in the household. Making sure they all had what they needed."

Although the spotlight was on Michael as he was becoming successful, Phelps managed to divide her time, energy and love with the rest of her family.

And according to Phelps, there isn't just one star in the family.

"I have three stars in my family. All three of my children are stars. Just happens that Michael swims very fast," she said. "I'm a mom that loves my children. I love my grandchildren, and just want to do the best for them. And it's called prioritizing. It's called managing your time. It's called doing what you need to do, as you know, occasion, or for the moment. So it's a lot of work. Being a parent is not easy. It doesn't make any difference what parent you are."

Parenting doesn't come without its challenges.

The storybook ending to Michael's Olympic season -- winning a record eight gold medals in Beijing - was followed in the past few months by some headlines that have not exactly been positive.

The Olympic great was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, due to the fallout from a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. He also lost Kellogg as a major sponsor.

"Well, obstacles, speed bumps, whatever you want to call them, life throws you curve balls sometimes. That's how we grow," she explained. "As you look at any person, I don't care who that person might be, we've all had obstacles in our life. It's how you embrace them. How you grow from them. How you then go on with your life and what do you do with them."

The scandal surrounding Michael wasn't just his problem.

"When anything happens to one of your children it becomes a family involvement at all times," Phelps said.

There has also been talk about Michael getting back in the pool again.

"That's Michael's decision. He has to have that in his heart. And you know, I know when he called me, he's like 'mom, four more years, going to 2012, are you with me?' I said 'Michael I'm with you whether you're going to swim at 2012 or whether you're not going to swim at 2012.' Because a mom, a dad, always stands behind her children."

[beambrat]

So what exactly was Debbie Phelps, the educator's, own goal? Telling the world she doesn't have a clue about her son's existence? We always called that "denial". Her comments that her son, Michael, has values - I always thought public drunkeness, doping, and feeling up a porn princess were vices, not values. Her comments on national TV that her son was in training...does her definition of training include clubbing, drinking, taking a toke, and sucking face with an internet porn stripper? Ms. Phelps, the educator, is either in a deep stage of denial about who her son is, or she thinks the American public consumers are really stupid. Don't get me wrong. I applaud Michael Phelps' athletic achievements. He is a champion. But to have his mother, a school principal, try to tell the world he is more than that - well, it is disgusting and insulting. Maybe she should stop writing, speaking, and riding the wave of her son's swimming ability, and take a long hard look at who/what her child really is. That really is the difficult part of being a parent - recognizing and accepting a child for who they are - not what you want them to be. She says she is supportive, but I'm lost here. Don't know what she is supporting. As a parent and a principal does she support boozing, drugs, and pornography? Or, is she against those things and just can't be honest about her own son? During the 2008 Olympics, Ms. Phelps made the comment that someone once told her that Michael would never be a success. I think it is time she gave that person an OK. Michael may be a champion, but he is sure a life failure. When you're right, you're right. Come out of denial, Debbie Phelps.