Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson Celebrate Son Nico’s “First Lap” With Car-Themed Birthday Party 

For the swimmer, navigating life as a dad has been a new and incredibly rewarding experience.

"Fatherhood has been something that's been special just because growing up kind of without a dad,” Michael, whose parents divorced when he was young, told E! News in June, “being able to kind of always be around and see every single step has been a treat.”

But having four boys, three of which are so close in age, often leads to a lot of roughhousing.

"There are a lot of big emotions," he explained. "So when they're going at each other, we pull them apart and you say, 'Lion breath.' And then they're able to talk through the things that they're experiencing in their stomach."

"As a dad, that's really cool to see,” he continued, “because we're giving them a tool to be able to help them control their emotions and identify their emotions and I think that's something that I didn't learn until later in life. So some of those little small things are hopefully going to make an impact and change how they look at mental health in the future."

But when it comes to their little brother, Boomer, Beckett and Maverick know how to be gentle. Nicole, who tied the knot with Michael in 2016, shared how their family dynamic shifted after welcoming Nico last January.

“Someone called Nico the family baby and it’s 100% true,” she reflected on Instagram last January. “The boys can’t get enough of their newest brother and want nothing more than to love on him, care for him (and mama) and just be near. I wasn’t sure what life would be like with a newbie and one more babe…. it’s like a puzzle piece we didn’t know was missing.”

Keep reading to see more of Michael Phelps and his family’s golden moments.