If there’s anything more amazing than Olympians taking the gold, it’s watching the emotional roller-coasters their parents ride as they compete. The moms and dads — especially this year’s crew — are often more exciting and gut-wrenching to observe than their insanely talented kids. And while many of their reactions are LOL-worthy, they are also deeply touching and often the catalyst for our Olympic-size tears, which occur nightly as we watch really athletic/hardworking humans show off their skills while sitting our couch swimming in a sea of Bugle crumbs.
Check out 18 parental reactions that deserve gold medals below.
Missy Franklin’s parents.
Jordyn Wieber‘s mom.
Chad Le Clos‘ dad.
Danell Leyva‘s dad.
Chen Hao‘s family; Ruta Meilutye‘s mom.
Michael Phelps’ mom and sisters.
Gabby Douglas‘ mom; Jordyn Wieber’s mom.
Aly Raisman‘s parents, Chad Le Clos’ dad.
Danell Levya’s dad, Michael Phelps’ mom.
