Michael Fred Phelps'Michael Phelps/Family Phelps grew up in the Rodgers Forge area as the youngest of three children. His father, a state policeman, was an all-around athlete, and his mother, Debbie, was a middle-school principle. When Phelps' parents split in 1994, he and his sisters moved in with their mother, with whom Phelps had a close relationship.