Al Roker is one proud papa!
The Today show weather anchor, 64, couldn’t resist showing off his 16-year-old son Nicholas “Nick” Albert‘s latest athletic achievement on Instagram Saturday, first posting a video of him competing in a swim race at the Special Olympics New York Summer Games at Vassar College.
“So proud of my boy for his #goldmedal finishes in the #25yd #butterfly and #50yd #freestyle at the @specialolympicsny #summergames at @vassarcollege today,” Roker captioned the clip, going on to congratulate all the athletes who participated.
In a follow-up post, Roker shared photos of his champion son being showered with kisses from his mom Deborah Roberts, posing with both his parents and other event attendees — and, of course, showing off those well-earned shiny medals.
“Thanks to @nickroker155 I’m gonna have a fabulous #fathersday looking at his 2 #goldmedals from today’s @specialolympicsny #summergames,” he wrote. “A BIG thank you to his coaches at the @92ndstreety Jeff Bonaccorso, Kim Weiss and Laura Scherf.”
In both posts, Roker made sure to clarify that his son gave him permission to share the video and photos.
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Al Roker Laments About His 15-Year-Old Son’s Recent Growth Spurt: “I’m Like a Little Polly Pocket Next to Him”
Roker and Roberts, 58, recently opened up to Guideposts magazine for their May cover story about raising a child with special needs.
In the article, Roker explained that their son is “somewhere on the spectrum and maybe obsessive-compulsive” — a condition that has brought a number of challenges for both Nick and his parents.
Despite those difficulties, he said Nick never let his developmental delays get in the way of living his life and doing what he loves, which is an attribute of his son’s that Roker has continuously admired over the years.
“Do I get frustrated with my son sometimes? You bet,” Roker wrote. “But then I remember my dad, how understanding he was. And Deborah reminds me that I have to show my son not only that I love him but that I like him as well. More than that, I admire him.”
After getting Nick the help he needed from speech, behavioral and occupational therapists, the daytime anchor said his son began to flourish into his own person, whose hobbies now include going to church, tae kwon do, swimming, chess and basketball.
“Nick is a hard worker; he’s got a great sense of humor; he’s outgoing and a good swimmer; he’s developing a pretty good top-of-the-key basketball shot,” Roker said. “He takes chess lessons a couple times a week, and he does okay. He’s also very affectionate — like his grandfather — and full of love to share.”
For the Father’s Day holiday on Sunday, the dad of three shared a snapshot of his entire family: wife Roberts, their kids Nick and Leila Ruth, 20, plus Roker’s daughter Courtney, 32.
He captioned the family photo, “As a #dad I couldn’t have a great #fathersday without an amazing #mom like @debrobertsabc to guide my kids @nickroker155 @cleilapatra and @ouichefcourtney.”
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