“I tried practicing it in the mirror—‘Mom, Dad, Mom, Dad'” – When Simone Biles recalled accepting her grandparents as her father and mother

Simone Biles once recalled that she had to practice calling her grandparents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ in front of a mirror. The eleven-time Olympic medalist spent a significant amount of her time in childhood in foster care before being adopted by her grandparents, Nellie and Ronald Biles.

Biles was born to biological parents Shanon Biles and Kelvin Clemons on 14th March, 1997. However, both her parents struggled with severe alcohol addiction, failing to take care of the gymnast and her three siblings.They were frequently sent to foster care before Biles’ maternal grandparents, Ron and Nellie, decided to adopt her and her sister Adria. The other two siblings were adopted by Ronald’s sister.

The 27-year-old used to call Ronald and Nellie ‘Grandpa’ and ‘Grandma’ but one day the grandmother sat down with Simone and Adria, telling them that they could call them ‘‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ if they wanted.
It’s up to you guys. If you want to, you can call us Mom and Dad,’ ” Simone remembered. “I went upstairs and tried practicing it in the mirror—‘Mom, Dad, Mom, Dad’,” she recalled. (via Texas Monthly)

Following the practice, Simone Biles eventually managed to call Ronald and Nellie ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’.
“Then I went downstairs, and she was in the kitchen. I looked up at her and I was like, ‘Mom?’ She said, ‘Yes!’” she added.

Simone Biles has rarely talked about her biological mother, Shanon Biles, and while there are some pictures of the two available, there isn’t a single one of her with father Kelvin Clemons. Shanon has kept trying to stay in touch with Biles and recently claimed that she wanted the gymnast to forgive her. Speaking with DailyMail.com in an interview, Shanon expressed:

“I would like to make amends with Simone personally – I’m just waiting for her and [her younger sister] Adria. I speak to Adria more than I speak to Simone. I would just ask her to forgive me. Can we move forward? Don’t judge me on my past. Let’s move forward. I’m waiting for the opportunity but I’m waiting on her to be able to come to me. Let’s sit down. I just have to be patient.”

There hasn’t been any response from Simone, who has very rarely talked about her biological mother publically. The 27-year-old is currently headlining the Gold Over America Tour after bagging three gold medals at the Paris Olympics 2024.