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Shawn Johnson East Reveals If She’d Support Her Kids’ Olympic Dreams

Shawn Johnson East Reveals If She’d Support Her Kids’ Olympic Dreams

By Movieguide® Contributor

Shawn Johnson East confirmed that she would allow her kids to pursue sports at the Olympic level, but she’s not going to force them to go that far.

“My husband and I have talked a lot about this,” Johnson East told the “Pop Culture Moms” podcast. “We feel such an immense pressure as our children’s parents to help them find what they are meant to do.”

“My daughter loves art. My daughter loves singing. She loves fashion. She loves ice skating,” she continued. “My son loves BMX and motorcycles and all these things. And I think if [my daughter] came to me and she [was] like, ‘Mommy, I want to go to the Olympics in ice skating,’ I’d be like, ‘Cool. I’m your biggest cheerleader. I will support you. Let’s figure out what the route is to that.”

A three-time gold medal Olympian herself, Johnson East understands the difficult road it takes to become a world champion. But as a mother, she has come to realize that allowing her children to compete at that stage might be an even greater task.

“I don’t know how [my mom] did it. She’s a rock star,” she said. “She put a lot of faith in my coach, who’s a godsend, and he was a second dad to me. But sitting in the Olympics watching your baby? No. No, no, no. I’m having a heart attack.”

For now, however, her kids do not have Olympic aspirations. Johnson East views this as a good thing and appreciates the time away from the world stage. During this time, she has tackled her biggest demons and worked to set a better example for her kids.

“I feel like I’ve relaxed a lot because my attention is so much on them, and it’s not on me anymore,” she said. “But it’s also this idea of, like, I don’t want them to grow up seeing me obsess over [food]. I want to teach them moderation and how to live and to be worried more about playing than what they’re going to have for lunch.”

She’s also focused on protecting them — and herself — from the outside world and the pressures of being a public figure.

“Social media has opened up this ability for us to get millions of opinions on a daily basis. That’s not normal,” Johnson East said. “And I think as a parent, it’s just this mixture of like, one, I don’t care because I’ve heard it all. So, I know what’s true at home and what’s not. But two, it’s made me protective over what we do post and what we don’t post and what we show and what we talk about.”

Johnson East and her husband Andrew East, a former NFL long snapper, share three children.

The former Olympian is in Paris with her whole family this summer to celebrate the 2024 Games.

“It is really exciting,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s this weird, cool, cliché, full circle moment where I get to go back to the Olympic Games with my husband and my babies and watch gymnastics. It’s really, really sweet and exciting.”

Her kids, though, might be bigger fans of the Easts’ stop at Disneyland rather than watching the events.

“I don’t think they’re going to appreciate or understand any of it,” Johnson East told E! News earlier this year. “Which we understand. We’re going to Disneyland Paris. I think they’re most excited for that.”

Movieguide® previously reported:

Former Olympian Shawn Johnson East shared a new YouTube video where she teaches her children about the Olympics.

Ahead of this summer’s games in Paris, East knows families often gather around televisions to cheer on their countries.

“Did you know the summer Olympics happen every four years in different places all over the world? Around 40 Sports compete all in the same location for the prestigious title of Olympic medalist,” East said.

East’s daughter, Drew, is 4 years old and starting to express interest in the sport that made her mom famous — gymnastics.

“I fell in love with gymnastics when I was about her age around the age of four I stuck with it, kept practicing and found myself at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China where I won four Olympic medals,” East said.

For East, though. It’s not just about the competition.


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