Why Olympic Speed Skater KC Boutiette Doesn't Want His Son to Follow in His Footsteps
U.S. speed skater KC Boutiette may be on a hopeful track for gold during this year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, but he has a feeling his son may pursue a slightly different path to greatness.
“I want him to do something else — not speed skating,” says the 48-year-old of son Braam, 5, in a new interview with PEOPLE’s Celeb Parents Get Real. “I think he’s going to be a skateboarder or something like that.”
That’s not to say Braam hasn’t shown an interest in his dad’s sport of choice, though. “I told him, ‘Hey, I’m going to the skating rink, do you want to go?’ ‘Yes, I do,’ ” recalls the proud father of two. “I skate around fast on the outside, he skates on the inside with his little holding cart. It’s pretty awesome.”
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Boutiette is also dad to daughter Brooke, 2, and reveals he’s more a “stern” parent than a strict one.
“If my boy does something that’s common sense … if it doesn’t make sense, then I tell him and I make sure he knows that it’s not the right thing to do,” he says.
My little Brooke and her hair. Aaaand with a little cookie hanging off her mouth. pic.twitter.com/gkh55PPo2p
— KC Boutiette (@kboutie) September 25, 2017
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Although Braam’s future may not be in speed skating, he will apply the same ambition and dedication to whatever he chooses, according to his dad.
“My boy takes after me with not wanting to lose,” says Boutiette. “I’m teaching him the lesson, ‘You have to learn how to lose to win,’ so he’s getting better at coming in second or coming in last.”