June 17, 2025 • 18 mins
🎧 Dear Dads: This One's For You (Love, Your Teenagers)
This Father’s Day, we’re turning the mic toward the men who made us—and made us laugh. In this heartfelt episode, Elissa, Ava, and Maggie reflect on the dads and grandfathers who shaped their lives, from delivery room heroics to softball sidelines, Broadway nights to backyard BBQs.
You’ll hear funny stories, sweet memories, and a top-10 list of why their dad, David, is a true MVP—from concert planner and gift-giving king to grill master and family sarcasm lead. Plus, the girls honor their Papa and remember their Grandpa with love and laughter.
Whether your father figure is a dad, a grandpa, a coach, or someone who just shows up, this episode is a tribute to the everyday love that anchors a family.
Hit play for a feel-good listen full of real talk, teen perspective, and a whole lotta dad energy.
Share it with a dad-figure you love and follow us on socials for behind-the-scenes content on TikTok @elissa-igetitfrommymom and Instagram @i.get.it.from.mymom
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker (00:01):
Welcome back to, I Get It from My mom.
The show where we laugh,reminisce, and sometimes get
unexpectedly teary as we talkthrough the moments that shape
us as a family.
I'm Elissa, your host, your mom,and the producer of many family
memories, both beautiful andchaotic.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And I'm Ava.
I'm 19 and in Full Daughter modetoday.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
And I'm Maggie.
I'm 16, and today's episode is alittle different.
We're turning the spotlight onthe dads.
Speaker (00:29):
It's our Father's Day special, and we're celebrating
the incredible men who've helpedshape our family.
Your dad, Papa and Grandpa.
From baby snuggles to softballfields, from Broadway shows to
barbecues.
They've shown up in big andsmall ways and we're honoring
them with stories, laughter, andlots of love.
Let's get into it.
(00:59):
So let's start with your dad,David.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah.
We obviously know our favoritethings about him now, but what
was he like at our births andwhen we were babies, like times
before we could remember?
Speaker (01:09):
Sure.
Dad was as nervous as andexcited as I was during the
pregnancies.
He took good care of me.
Helping to do as much physicallyhe could in terms of lifting
things, making people, giving meseats on the subways.
We still went to shows andconcerts and had weekends away,
but he couldn't take away theheartburn and the lack of
sleeping and the sweats and thedifficulty breathing.
(01:30):
Did I ever tell you, Ava, whathe did when I discovered I was
pregnant with you?
I don't think
Speaker 2 (01:35):
so.
Speaker (01:35):
He was away on a golf weekend when I kind of had a
sense that I might be pregnantand we had been trying a little
bit, and so I had bought myselfa pregnancy test and sure enough
I was alone and took it and itwas positive and then I was
like, oh my God.
So I ran out and got two otherbrands.
And took those two.
And they too were positive anddaddy was away with his friends.
(01:56):
And so I took a photo of it andsent it to him, showing him the
positive.
And he was obviously so excitedhe couldn't wait to get home to
celebrate, but didn't tell hisfriends.
I was like, don't say anything,it's too early.
When he came home, I don'tremember the exact timing, but I
was sleeping and he woke me upand he gave me a kiss and he's
like, I just wanna let you knowyou're definitely pregnant.
And I was like, what do youmean?
(02:17):
And he says, well, I peed on apregnancy stick, and it came out
negative'cause I wanted to makesure they're not all broken and
gone about automatically bepositive.
So sure enough, I was pregnantand he was not.
Oh, good to know.
He wasn't pregnant.
That's, yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Was he in the delivery rooms when we were
born?
Speaker (02:36):
Yes, for Ava.
I tried a few hours to delivernaturally to no avail, but dad
was there holding my leg up andtrying to help the baby come out
the best he could.
Although I do recall he took abreak from holding my leg and
swapped out with a nurse and dadwent to the couch and fell
asleep in the room while Icontinued pushing for a few more
hours, but eventually was aC-section, and he was there and
(02:57):
because they held the baby upfirst, you know, he even got to
see.
Ava before I did.
And, for both of you, Maggie,you were, you know, a c-section
as well, but we didn't push thistime.
So he went over immediately waswatching as you were, you know,
getting cleaned up and he wascounting your fingers and toes
and all that while I was stillstrapped to the table.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Did he do diapers when we were babies?
Yes.
Speaker (03:17):
Even before I did, I was, you know, sore from the
C-sections.
And so in the hospital he dideverything.
And once you were home, he dideverything diapers bottles,
swaddling.
He would've nursed too.
I think if he could have, Iremember one night, and I'm
pretty sure it was Ava, justbecause of the screaming.
It was like middle of the night.
She had been up so much.
I had nursed her.
I was exhausted and so he'slike, let me try to take the
(03:39):
baby.
And I must have fallen asleep,but he came back like an hour
later, just tears both of youcrying.
You, Ava and Daddy, and he hadtaken you outside to try to get
you to calm down and everything.
He's like, I can't do it.
I think she just wants to benursed and so he was really
super hands-on just trying tocomfort me and you.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh,
Speaker (03:58):
that's funny.
Yeah, I mean he was totally intonight feedings, tummy time walks
in the stroller.
Building you block towers to getyou to crawl.
Wearing the baby bjo and pushingyou on swings, buying you
endless pacifiers formula babyfood.
You know, he didn't miss amoment of either of you if he
could and nor did I.
He was as involved as any dadcould be.
It was great.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
So to honor your very special dad, let's go through
the top 10 reasons he's amazing.
And we'll tell stories along theway.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
I think one that comes to mind immediately was
when he coached both me andAva's softball team for years,
and he was always our biggestcheerleader at every game in
practice.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
Yeah.
I don't think I would've built alove for the game if it wasn't
for dad being such a part ofteaching me and being there for
it all.
I mean, I chose to be a catcherjust like him.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
And we both chose his number in high school baseball.
Number nine, Maggie Klein,
Speaker 6 (04:52):
number nine.
Ava Klein.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Yes.
Number nine.
David Klein.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
I mean truly, he always helped with every piece
of equipment.
He watched every single game.
Even when if, if there were evertimes he couldn't be there, he'd
watch them all and like gamechanger.
He would get emotional at everyhome run.
He would give me tips foreverything and was truly.
Like my biggest supporter alongthe way throughout it, and like
(05:18):
I really would not have had sucha love for the game if he wasn't
there to support me and wasn'tloving me doing it as well,?
All right.
Number two, if you've ever goneon a trip with us, you know.
Our dad is the planner.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
Yep.
He plans everything.
The flights, the hotels, wherewe go, the cities, the dinners,
the shows, every activity.
It's his thing.
He does it every time and he isvery good at it.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Yep.
We talked about it in ourprevious podcast on vacation, so
feel free to go back and listenif you haven't.
But dad plays this role and heplays it very well.
We all know his motto.
He does what he can to set us upfor success.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
It's not like he's a crazy itinerary man or
everything.
He's definitely super flexible.
If it's not our moods that dayor we wanna make changes, we do,
Speaker 5 (06:03):
but it always ends up being the best trip when he's in
charge of everything.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Do you remember that day when we were in Dominican
Republic?
Over COVID and we did likeadventure day.
Speaker 6 (06:13):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
And so what'd we do?
We went to like Monkey Zoo wherethey were climbing all over us.
Uhuh, well not on any of it, butthe rest of us.
And we did zip lining and thenwe went on that Jeep tour.
Right?
Like he just does things likethat.
Every boat trip, every, he'svery good at that stuff.
Yes.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
And number three, how about that?
He takes us to so many concertsand shows and is always the best
at buying tickets for all ofthem.
Speaker 6 (06:35):
Definitely when it comes to Broadway, he's as into
it as much as we are.
And maybe even more so.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
What would you say are dad's favorite shows?
Speaker 5 (06:43):
We know he loves Le Mis and has seen it a million
times.
Always Hamilton in a chorusline, the classics.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Yeah.
I feel Les Mis is definitelynumber one.
I mean, he also loves ChicagoBook of Mormon recently, the
Outsiders, which me and him haveboth been very obsessed with.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And then there's the concerts he's taking you to,
even if they were much more foryou than him.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Yep.
Like the time he took me and Avato an Ariana Grande concert with
just him and not even mom.
Or our first concert, we roadtripped to Philly and went to
see Taylor Swift like 12 yearsago.
And he got us tickets to JingleBall and Governor's Ball to see
Olivia, Rodrigo and SabrinaCarpenter both so many times.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
We've also done some concerts that he is into though
we've done The Killers GreenDay, Zach Brown Band.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Yep.
Dad loves his live music andloves sharing it with his family
and friends.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
I personally think that, as dad likes to say, he
should be in every Broadway showas the star.
They should just pull him up onstage, for sure.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Okay, so then there's food.
So I'd say reason number four,dad's awesome is because of his
dinners on the barbecue.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Yep.
He makes the best steaks andburgers and grilled chicken and
co bob's.
Nothing fancy but so yummy.
He likes finding the right grilltools and marinades or special
techniques, and he grills like apro, like dad's steaks, are
better than any restaurant.
Speaker 6 (08:02):
And I feel like that kind of goes into number five
and definitely kind of mergeswith it.
Cooking on the Blackstonerecently too, since we got that
two summers ago up at the house,bacon and egg and cheese
sandwiches in the morning.
Unmatched.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
I love his fried rice too, on the black.
So yeah, it's definitely verygood.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Okay, this next one I'm thinking impacts us a little
less directly, but it's one ofthe things that kind of just
makes dad, dad.
So I think number six woulddefinitely have to be his love
for golfing.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
That's a good one.
Maggie.
What dad does well is he lovesthe game and is excellent at it.
But he never wanted it to get inthe way of family fun.
So he will purposely play veryearly on weekends, even when you
were babies.
So he could still enjoy a beachday with us and still be back to
cook us a mean brunch.
And he always said that once youhad children, his handicap would
only improve.
(08:49):
It wouldn't go worse.
And sure enough it has over theyears.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
Yeah, I think we all get that.
It's his me time and how heunwind and has fun with his
friends and I can't think of anytime when he didn't come home
happier or ready to be with us.
Plus, when he chooses vacationswith amazing golf, it means we
wind up in gorgeous resorts inMaui or the Dominican Republic.
So I'm not complaining.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Can we talk about Dad's other amazing skill?
Oh, please.
He is the best gift giver.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
Yeah, I mean, you can mention, anything to him, even
something small and he'llremembers it and he researches
it and gets the perfect gift forit.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Yeah, he definitely looks things up that are
trending to make our livesbetter, gets those kind of
things.
But yeah, he really never failson a gift.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Yeah.
I feel like there's all theselike.
Funny memes or tiktoks, maybenot meant to be funny, but
sarcastic about like how dad'salways surprised at Christmas
when gifts were opening and hedidn't know what the family got
in ours, it goes differently.
He buys, of the eight nights ofHanukkah, he gets like five of
them, half of them, I don't evenknow.
He just says we're all settledup.
He makes a list of what'shappening every night.
(09:55):
They're all wrapped.
They're all ready.
So I play more of kind of likethe slight consulting maybe sort
of involved role, but he rollsit all.
So what have been some of yourfavorite gifts you think that
dad's gotten you?
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I think, um, probably in middle school when I was
obsessed with the office and onHanukkah, he got me like a bunch
of office like themed gifts.
Like I got bobbleheads, I gotlike the teapot From that one
episode I got like a DVD thathad.
Some extra clips or somethinglike that, but it like wasn't
something I asked for, but Imean I loved it at the
Speaker 4 (10:29):
time.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Um, I don't know if I can think of a favorite gift
specifically, but I just feellike his way of always searching
it up and like finding the bestoption for what you want.
Like I got a CD player forHanukkah.
This year and he made sure toget the right one that works
well and sounds good and isperfect for what we want.
He always makes sure to researchit very well.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
So to me, the eighth reason we love Dad is that he's
funny.
We're admitting it, dad.
There you go.
Sure.
There's a lot of typical dadhumor and jokes in there, but he
really is clever with his jokes
Speaker 5 (11:04):
and he doesn't mind when he's the butt of the joke
either.
Like he's always in on it andthen plays into the quirk even
more.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
But we all agree.
I'm still funnier than Dad.
Right?
I'm sorry.
It's Father's Day.
We just can't say that rightnow.
I'm sorry.
Aw.
I will say that I definitelyadmire how hard Dad works.
So number nine for me is thatwhile he seems to enjoy his
career in advertising, we knowhe works hard and takes it
seriously to improve our lives.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
And even though he works hard, I can't think of a
time when he wasn't there for usor getting us what we need or
not thinking of us.
I would never think of him assomeone who puts his career
ahead of his family, at anytime.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I agree.
And the people who work with himalways really liked dad, which I
think is important.
They say how highly he talksabout us.
Most importantly.
Most importantly, yes, ofcourse, and the dog, but that
he, is good to work for and heshares and he's open and he is
good to learn from.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
I also think, I just love that Dad does something
that also I'm kind of interestedin too.
So it's.
Kinda awesome to have a rolemodel who's in a very similar
field and does so well in it andcan give me so many tips and
stuff like that too.
Especially given like howsuccessful he is and what he
does.
So that's also very cool.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Very cool.
So I'd say number 10 is how Dadcares about everything and us so
deeply.
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Yeah, he's definitely a big crier when it comes to his
happy emotions, which is alwaysnice to see when it has to do
with us.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
And he's definitely always checking in on us and
wanting to know everything goingon and senses.
If things are off, you can tell.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Yes.
And he is very close to hissister and family, his parents,
my family, his friends.
This is a man who cares deeply.
Speaker 7 (12:49):
So we went through all the things we love about
dad, but we should also talkabout Papa and grandpa, our
grandfathers who shaped us in somany ways
Speaker 8 (12:58):
so I don't know if you knew this Ava, but when you
were first born and I was onmaternity leave and home with
you, my dad, Papa, would comeinto the city on his day off
midweek and spend the day beingwith us.
He'd watch you so I could getthings done or help around the
house or just shower you withkisses.
And later on he'd take you outand eventually Maggie out in the
stroller, or a baby Bjorn, heactually preferred the baby
(13:20):
Bjorn.
And hold your little hands andtalk to you about everything in
the city.
He just noticed every dog, everystore, every color, he'd show
you off and he would just yap itup with you everywhere he went.
He was so proud of you guys.
Speaker 9 (13:34):
I remember on all my random days off of school, Papa
would always take me to a museumand Ava never liked it that
much, but I would always go withGrammy and Papa.
And I've really been to everymuseum in the city because of
them.
I've been to the Met theGuggenheim, and they were all
super fun to explore together.
I mean, Papa's hilariouslyfunny, which I, I'm sure we talk
(13:54):
about, but it was never a dullmoment with him.
And while museums aren't thefunniest place to be, he always
made it such a great time andsomething I would want to go to
as a kid going to a museum on mydays off.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
Yeah, I mean we also went to the Transit Museum, the
Museum of Math, the NaturalHistory Museum, and Papa and
Grammy came to many of oursoftball games, every school
performance award andgraduation.
Speaker 8 (14:19):
Yep.
So what do you think makes Papaspecial and unique?
Speaker 9 (14:22):
I just said this, but he is very funny.
I think he does win the awardfor Funniest in the family.
He has comments for everything.
He has the best comedic timing.
But it just makes him so muchmore fun to be around.
'cause you know you're gonna belaughing and having a good time,
even if it is those more seriousmoments.
Sometimes you're just not in thefunnest place or most fun place.
(14:46):
He just makes it a nice time tobe.
He makes it funnest.
He makes it funnest.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
And you know, he has a story for everything.
He remembers every joke andevery situation, and frames them
in such a way that makes youlaugh more.
I mean.
All the stories hearing aboutlike mom and, Aunt Danna as kids
are always just the funniestthing ever and every voice and
joke I feel like that we've hadthe same jokes with him since we
were babies.
And I literally still rememberlike the first time hearing them
(15:11):
and losing my mind laughing.
Speaker 9 (15:13):
Another big thing is his fear of being dirty.
His house is always clean.
He always needs to clean upafter everything.
We're not even allowed to cleanup after family dinners'cause he
has to do it his way.
But it's just, that's alwaysbeen a part of him.
It's like the cleanest houseI've ever been to.
'cause it's always moed andscrubbed and shined every time.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
And he is very tan And an amazing walker as well.
Yes.
So incredible Walker
Speaker 8 (15:38):
and Papa's very generous with all of us when it
comes to everything in life.
So let's talk about Grandpa,Daddy's dad.
He passed away two years ago,and I know we all miss him
deeply.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
Yeah, you know, grandpa too was always there for
us for every little thing.
For years.
He came to the city with grandmawatching us once or twice a
week,
Speaker 9 (15:58):
and he'd always come in saying, where's my girls?
With a big smile on his face.
And then grandma would drag himto the park with us.
Or when we had half days inschool during the week, they
would always take us to getMcDonald's after.
And we'd climb all over him.
Where's my girls?
Speaker 7 (16:13):
And he came to every softball game, no matter how
far.
No matter the weather, he wasalways there in his chair with
his newspaper calling out AverAver,
Speaker 9 (16:26):
and he took us on so many big family vacations to the
beaches of Maryland, to Disney,to the Dominican Republic.
He would get in the cooler oceanwith us and let us steal his
baseball cap as we again climbedon him.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
Yes.
He was so proud of you girls andwas beaming at your bat mitzvahs
and every game and every awardand dance, and just always
wanted you to be happy,
Speaker 7 (16:48):
you know?
And while he was always maybe alittle bit the butt of the joke
with our cousins, he always tookit with stride.
And he played into his quirksfor sure.
Speaker 9 (16:57):
Absolutely.
We were all extremely lucky tohave him in our lives and has
him as a support and an amazinggrandfather as we grew up.
Yeah.
And he
Speaker 7 (17:06):
would've loved us doing this podcast.
He would've loved podcast.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
Absolutely.
And we miss him dearly.
Speaker 10 (17:15):
Before we wrap, I just wanna say this because
while this episode is full ofour personal stories, it was
really a celebration of ourfamily.
We know not everyone has thesame experience with a dad or a
grandfather or a traditionalfamily.
Speaker 11 (17:28):
Yeah.
For some people, a father figuremight have been a teacher, a
coach, a neighbor, or even a momwho played both roles,
Speaker 12 (17:34):
or a sibling or a stepdad, or someone who just
showed up for you.
Exactly.
Speaker 10 (17:40):
This episode isn't about the men in our lives.
It's about what it means to beloved, supported, and rooted for
by someone or anyone who takesthe time to care, right?
So the ones who teach you how toride a bike, drive a car, grill
a burger, and laugh at yourself,the ones who show you what
consistency and love looks like.
Speaker 11 (17:59):
So if you've had someone like that, we hope this
episode make made you, sorry.
So if you've had someone likethat, we hope this episode made
you smile.
Maybe even remember a moment youhaven't thought about in a
while,
Speaker 12 (18:10):
and if you didn't have that growing up, maybe you
are that person now for someoneelse that's just as important.
Speaker 10 (18:18):
So, to David, to Papa and to grandpa, thank you
for showing up for the diapersand the dad jokes, the burgers
and the Broadway nights, thesacrifices and the laughs you've
made our family better.
Funnier and stronger
Speaker 11 (18:33):
to all the dads and father figures listening.
Happy Father's Day.
We appreciate you
Speaker 12 (18:38):
and if you're lucky enough to have a dad in your
life who texts you funny,tiktoks and knows your Starbucks
order, give him an extra hugtoday.
Speaker 10 (18:45):
We'll be back next week with another episode of I
Get It for My Mom, but this weeklet's give it up for the guys
who do so much for us.
Happy.
Happy Father's Day.
Welcome back to, I Get It from My mom.
The show where we laugh,reminisce, and sometimes get
unexpectedly teary as we talkthrough the moments that shape
us as a family.
I'm Elissa, your host, your mom,and the producer of many family
memories, both beautiful andchaotic.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
And I'm Ava.
I'm 19 and in Full Daughter modetoday.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
And I'm Maggie.
I'm 16, and today's episode is alittle different.
We're turning the spotlight onthe dads.
Speaker (00:29):
It's our Father's Day special, and we're celebrating
the incredible men who've helpedshape our family.
Your dad, Papa and Grandpa.
From baby snuggles to softballfields, from Broadway shows to
barbecues.
They've shown up in big andsmall ways and we're honoring
them with stories, laughter, andlots of love.
Let's get into it.
(00:59):
So let's start with your dad,David.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah.
We obviously know our favoritethings about him now, but what
was he like at our births andwhen we were babies, like times
before we could remember?
Speaker (01:09):
Sure.
Dad was as nervous as andexcited as I was during the
pregnancies.
He took good care of me.
Helping to do as much physicallyhe could in terms of lifting
things, making people, giving meseats on the subways.
We still went to shows andconcerts and had weekends away,
but he couldn't take away theheartburn and the lack of
sleeping and the sweats and thedifficulty breathing.
(01:30):
Did I ever tell you, Ava, whathe did when I discovered I was
pregnant with you?
I don't think
Speaker 2 (01:35):
so.
Speaker (01:35):
He was away on a golf weekend when I kind of had a
sense that I might be pregnantand we had been trying a little
bit, and so I had bought myselfa pregnancy test and sure enough
I was alone and took it and itwas positive and then I was
like, oh my God.
So I ran out and got two otherbrands.
And took those two.
And they too were positive anddaddy was away with his friends.
(01:56):
And so I took a photo of it andsent it to him, showing him the
positive.
And he was obviously so excitedhe couldn't wait to get home to
celebrate, but didn't tell hisfriends.
I was like, don't say anything,it's too early.
When he came home, I don'tremember the exact timing, but I
was sleeping and he woke me upand he gave me a kiss and he's
like, I just wanna let you knowyou're definitely pregnant.
And I was like, what do youmean?
(02:17):
And he says, well, I peed on apregnancy stick, and it came out
negative'cause I wanted to makesure they're not all broken and
gone about automatically bepositive.
So sure enough, I was pregnantand he was not.
Oh, good to know.
He wasn't pregnant.
That's, yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Was he in the delivery rooms when we were
born?
Speaker (02:36):
Yes, for Ava.
I tried a few hours to delivernaturally to no avail, but dad
was there holding my leg up andtrying to help the baby come out
the best he could.
Although I do recall he took abreak from holding my leg and
swapped out with a nurse and dadwent to the couch and fell
asleep in the room while Icontinued pushing for a few more
hours, but eventually was aC-section, and he was there and
(02:57):
because they held the baby upfirst, you know, he even got to
see.
Ava before I did.
And, for both of you, Maggie,you were, you know, a c-section
as well, but we didn't push thistime.
So he went over immediately waswatching as you were, you know,
getting cleaned up and he wascounting your fingers and toes
and all that while I was stillstrapped to the table.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Did he do diapers when we were babies?
Yes.
Speaker (03:17):
Even before I did, I was, you know, sore from the
C-sections.
And so in the hospital he dideverything.
And once you were home, he dideverything diapers bottles,
swaddling.
He would've nursed too.
I think if he could have, Iremember one night, and I'm
pretty sure it was Ava, justbecause of the screaming.
It was like middle of the night.
She had been up so much.
I had nursed her.
I was exhausted and so he'slike, let me try to take the
(03:39):
baby.
And I must have fallen asleep,but he came back like an hour
later, just tears both of youcrying.
You, Ava and Daddy, and he hadtaken you outside to try to get
you to calm down and everything.
He's like, I can't do it.
I think she just wants to benursed and so he was really
super hands-on just trying tocomfort me and you.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Oh,
Speaker (03:58):
that's funny.
Yeah, I mean he was totally intonight feedings, tummy time walks
in the stroller.
Building you block towers to getyou to crawl.
Wearing the baby bjo and pushingyou on swings, buying you
endless pacifiers formula babyfood.
You know, he didn't miss amoment of either of you if he
could and nor did I.
He was as involved as any dadcould be.
It was great.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
So to honor your very special dad, let's go through
the top 10 reasons he's amazing.
And we'll tell stories along theway.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
I think one that comes to mind immediately was
when he coached both me andAva's softball team for years,
and he was always our biggestcheerleader at every game in
practice.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
Yeah.
I don't think I would've built alove for the game if it wasn't
for dad being such a part ofteaching me and being there for
it all.
I mean, I chose to be a catcherjust like him.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
And we both chose his number in high school baseball.
Number nine, Maggie Klein,
Speaker 6 (04:52):
number nine.
Ava Klein.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Yes.
Number nine.
David Klein.
Speaker 6 (04:56):
I mean truly, he always helped with every piece
of equipment.
He watched every single game.
Even when if, if there were evertimes he couldn't be there, he'd
watch them all and like gamechanger.
He would get emotional at everyhome run.
He would give me tips foreverything and was truly.
Like my biggest supporter alongthe way throughout it, and like
(05:18):
I really would not have had sucha love for the game if he wasn't
there to support me and wasn'tloving me doing it as well,?
All right.
Number two, if you've ever goneon a trip with us, you know.
Our dad is the planner.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
Yep.
He plans everything.
The flights, the hotels, wherewe go, the cities, the dinners,
the shows, every activity.
It's his thing.
He does it every time and he isvery good at it.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Yep.
We talked about it in ourprevious podcast on vacation, so
feel free to go back and listenif you haven't.
But dad plays this role and heplays it very well.
We all know his motto.
He does what he can to set us upfor success.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
It's not like he's a crazy itinerary man or
everything.
He's definitely super flexible.
If it's not our moods that dayor we wanna make changes, we do,
Speaker 5 (06:03):
but it always ends up being the best trip when he's in
charge of everything.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Do you remember that day when we were in Dominican
Republic?
Over COVID and we did likeadventure day.
Speaker 6 (06:13):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
And so what'd we do?
We went to like Monkey Zoo wherethey were climbing all over us.
Uhuh, well not on any of it, butthe rest of us.
And we did zip lining and thenwe went on that Jeep tour.
Right?
Like he just does things likethat.
Every boat trip, every, he'svery good at that stuff.
Yes.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
And number three, how about that?
He takes us to so many concertsand shows and is always the best
at buying tickets for all ofthem.
Speaker 6 (06:35):
Definitely when it comes to Broadway, he's as into
it as much as we are.
And maybe even more so.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
What would you say are dad's favorite shows?
Speaker 5 (06:43):
We know he loves Le Mis and has seen it a million
times.
Always Hamilton in a chorusline, the classics.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Yeah.
I feel Les Mis is definitelynumber one.
I mean, he also loves ChicagoBook of Mormon recently, the
Outsiders, which me and him haveboth been very obsessed with.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
And then there's the concerts he's taking you to,
even if they were much more foryou than him.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Yep.
Like the time he took me and Avato an Ariana Grande concert with
just him and not even mom.
Or our first concert, we roadtripped to Philly and went to
see Taylor Swift like 12 yearsago.
And he got us tickets to JingleBall and Governor's Ball to see
Olivia, Rodrigo and SabrinaCarpenter both so many times.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
We've also done some concerts that he is into though
we've done The Killers GreenDay, Zach Brown Band.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Yep.
Dad loves his live music andloves sharing it with his family
and friends.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
I personally think that, as dad likes to say, he
should be in every Broadway showas the star.
They should just pull him up onstage, for sure.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Okay, so then there's food.
So I'd say reason number four,dad's awesome is because of his
dinners on the barbecue.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Yep.
He makes the best steaks andburgers and grilled chicken and
co bob's.
Nothing fancy but so yummy.
He likes finding the right grilltools and marinades or special
techniques, and he grills like apro, like dad's steaks, are
better than any restaurant.
Speaker 6 (08:02):
And I feel like that kind of goes into number five
and definitely kind of mergeswith it.
Cooking on the Blackstonerecently too, since we got that
two summers ago up at the house,bacon and egg and cheese
sandwiches in the morning.
Unmatched.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
I love his fried rice too, on the black.
So yeah, it's definitely verygood.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Okay, this next one I'm thinking impacts us a little
less directly, but it's one ofthe things that kind of just
makes dad, dad.
So I think number six woulddefinitely have to be his love
for golfing.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
That's a good one.
Maggie.
What dad does well is he lovesthe game and is excellent at it.
But he never wanted it to get inthe way of family fun.
So he will purposely play veryearly on weekends, even when you
were babies.
So he could still enjoy a beachday with us and still be back to
cook us a mean brunch.
And he always said that once youhad children, his handicap would
only improve.
(08:49):
It wouldn't go worse.
And sure enough it has over theyears.
Speaker 6 (08:53):
Yeah, I think we all get that.
It's his me time and how heunwind and has fun with his
friends and I can't think of anytime when he didn't come home
happier or ready to be with us.
Plus, when he chooses vacationswith amazing golf, it means we
wind up in gorgeous resorts inMaui or the Dominican Republic.
So I'm not complaining.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Can we talk about Dad's other amazing skill?
Oh, please.
He is the best gift giver.
Speaker 5 (09:16):
Yeah, I mean, you can mention, anything to him, even
something small and he'llremembers it and he researches
it and gets the perfect gift forit.
Speaker 6 (09:26):
Yeah, he definitely looks things up that are
trending to make our livesbetter, gets those kind of
things.
But yeah, he really never failson a gift.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
Yeah.
I feel like there's all theselike.
Funny memes or tiktoks, maybenot meant to be funny, but
sarcastic about like how dad'salways surprised at Christmas
when gifts were opening and hedidn't know what the family got
in ours, it goes differently.
He buys, of the eight nights ofHanukkah, he gets like five of
them, half of them, I don't evenknow.
He just says we're all settledup.
He makes a list of what'shappening every night.
(09:55):
They're all wrapped.
They're all ready.
So I play more of kind of likethe slight consulting maybe sort
of involved role, but he rollsit all.
So what have been some of yourfavorite gifts you think that
dad's gotten you?
Speaker 6 (10:08):
I think, um, probably in middle school when I was
obsessed with the office and onHanukkah, he got me like a bunch
of office like themed gifts.
Like I got bobbleheads, I gotlike the teapot From that one
episode I got like a DVD thathad.
Some extra clips or somethinglike that, but it like wasn't
something I asked for, but Imean I loved it at the
Speaker 4 (10:29):
time.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Um, I don't know if I can think of a favorite gift
specifically, but I just feellike his way of always searching
it up and like finding the bestoption for what you want.
Like I got a CD player forHanukkah.
This year and he made sure toget the right one that works
well and sounds good and isperfect for what we want.
He always makes sure to researchit very well.
Speaker 6 (10:51):
So to me, the eighth reason we love Dad is that he's
funny.
We're admitting it, dad.
There you go.
Sure.
There's a lot of typical dadhumor and jokes in there, but he
really is clever with his jokes
Speaker 5 (11:04):
and he doesn't mind when he's the butt of the joke
either.
Like he's always in on it andthen plays into the quirk even
more.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
But we all agree.
I'm still funnier than Dad.
Right?
I'm sorry.
It's Father's Day.
We just can't say that rightnow.
I'm sorry.
Aw.
I will say that I definitelyadmire how hard Dad works.
So number nine for me is thatwhile he seems to enjoy his
career in advertising, we knowhe works hard and takes it
seriously to improve our lives.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
And even though he works hard, I can't think of a
time when he wasn't there for usor getting us what we need or
not thinking of us.
I would never think of him assomeone who puts his career
ahead of his family, at anytime.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I agree.
And the people who work with himalways really liked dad, which I
think is important.
They say how highly he talksabout us.
Most importantly.
Most importantly, yes, ofcourse, and the dog, but that
he, is good to work for and heshares and he's open and he is
good to learn from.
Speaker 6 (11:56):
I also think, I just love that Dad does something
that also I'm kind of interestedin too.
So it's.
Kinda awesome to have a rolemodel who's in a very similar
field and does so well in it andcan give me so many tips and
stuff like that too.
Especially given like howsuccessful he is and what he
does.
So that's also very cool.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Very cool.
So I'd say number 10 is how Dadcares about everything and us so
deeply.
Speaker 6 (12:26):
Yeah, he's definitely a big crier when it comes to his
happy emotions, which is alwaysnice to see when it has to do
with us.
Speaker 5 (12:32):
And he's definitely always checking in on us and
wanting to know everything goingon and senses.
If things are off, you can tell.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Yes.
And he is very close to hissister and family, his parents,
my family, his friends.
This is a man who cares deeply.
Speaker 7 (12:49):
So we went through all the things we love about
dad, but we should also talkabout Papa and grandpa, our
grandfathers who shaped us in somany ways
Speaker 8 (12:58):
so I don't know if you knew this Ava, but when you
were first born and I was onmaternity leave and home with
you, my dad, Papa, would comeinto the city on his day off
midweek and spend the day beingwith us.
He'd watch you so I could getthings done or help around the
house or just shower you withkisses.
And later on he'd take you outand eventually Maggie out in the
stroller, or a baby Bjorn, heactually preferred the baby
(13:20):
Bjorn.
And hold your little hands andtalk to you about everything in
the city.
He just noticed every dog, everystore, every color, he'd show
you off and he would just yap itup with you everywhere he went.
He was so proud of you guys.
Speaker 9 (13:34):
I remember on all my random days off of school, Papa
would always take me to a museumand Ava never liked it that
much, but I would always go withGrammy and Papa.
And I've really been to everymuseum in the city because of
them.
I've been to the Met theGuggenheim, and they were all
super fun to explore together.
I mean, Papa's hilariouslyfunny, which I, I'm sure we talk
(13:54):
about, but it was never a dullmoment with him.
And while museums aren't thefunniest place to be, he always
made it such a great time andsomething I would want to go to
as a kid going to a museum on mydays off.
Speaker 7 (14:07):
Yeah, I mean we also went to the Transit Museum, the
Museum of Math, the NaturalHistory Museum, and Papa and
Grammy came to many of oursoftball games, every school
performance award andgraduation.
Speaker 8 (14:19):
Yep.
So what do you think makes Papaspecial and unique?
Speaker 9 (14:22):
I just said this, but he is very funny.
I think he does win the awardfor Funniest in the family.
He has comments for everything.
He has the best comedic timing.
But it just makes him so muchmore fun to be around.
'cause you know you're gonna belaughing and having a good time,
even if it is those more seriousmoments.
Sometimes you're just not in thefunnest place or most fun place.
(14:46):
He just makes it a nice time tobe.
He makes it funnest.
He makes it funnest.
Speaker 7 (14:50):
And you know, he has a story for everything.
He remembers every joke andevery situation, and frames them
in such a way that makes youlaugh more.
I mean.
All the stories hearing aboutlike mom and, Aunt Danna as kids
are always just the funniestthing ever and every voice and
joke I feel like that we've hadthe same jokes with him since we
were babies.
And I literally still rememberlike the first time hearing them
(15:11):
and losing my mind laughing.
Speaker 9 (15:13):
Another big thing is his fear of being dirty.
His house is always clean.
He always needs to clean upafter everything.
We're not even allowed to cleanup after family dinners'cause he
has to do it his way.
But it's just, that's alwaysbeen a part of him.
It's like the cleanest houseI've ever been to.
'cause it's always moed andscrubbed and shined every time.
Speaker 7 (15:33):
And he is very tan And an amazing walker as well.
Yes.
So incredible Walker
Speaker 8 (15:38):
and Papa's very generous with all of us when it
comes to everything in life.
So let's talk about Grandpa,Daddy's dad.
He passed away two years ago,and I know we all miss him
deeply.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
Yeah, you know, grandpa too was always there for
us for every little thing.
For years.
He came to the city with grandmawatching us once or twice a
week,
Speaker 9 (15:58):
and he'd always come in saying, where's my girls?
With a big smile on his face.
And then grandma would drag himto the park with us.
Or when we had half days inschool during the week, they
would always take us to getMcDonald's after.
And we'd climb all over him.
Where's my girls?
Speaker 7 (16:13):
And he came to every softball game, no matter how
far.
No matter the weather, he wasalways there in his chair with
his newspaper calling out AverAver,
Speaker 9 (16:26):
and he took us on so many big family vacations to the
beaches of Maryland, to Disney,to the Dominican Republic.
He would get in the cooler oceanwith us and let us steal his
baseball cap as we again climbedon him.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
Yes.
He was so proud of you girls andwas beaming at your bat mitzvahs
and every game and every awardand dance, and just always
wanted you to be happy,
Speaker 7 (16:48):
you know?
And while he was always maybe alittle bit the butt of the joke
with our cousins, he always tookit with stride.
And he played into his quirksfor sure.
Speaker 9 (16:57):
Absolutely.
We were all extremely lucky tohave him in our lives and has
him as a support and an amazinggrandfather as we grew up.
Yeah.
And he
Speaker 7 (17:06):
would've loved us doing this podcast.
He would've loved podcast.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
Absolutely.
And we miss him dearly.
Speaker 10 (17:15):
Before we wrap, I just wanna say this because
while this episode is full ofour personal stories, it was
really a celebration of ourfamily.
We know not everyone has thesame experience with a dad or a
grandfather or a traditionalfamily.
Speaker 11 (17:28):
Yeah.
For some people, a father figuremight have been a teacher, a
coach, a neighbor, or even a momwho played both roles,
Speaker 12 (17:34):
or a sibling or a stepdad, or someone who just
showed up for you.
Exactly.
Speaker 10 (17:40):
This episode isn't about the men in our lives.
It's about what it means to beloved, supported, and rooted for
by someone or anyone who takesthe time to care, right?
So the ones who teach you how toride a bike, drive a car, grill
a burger, and laugh at yourself,the ones who show you what
consistency and love looks like.
Speaker 11 (17:59):
So if you've had someone like that, we hope this
episode make made you, sorry.
So if you've had someone likethat, we hope this episode made
you smile.
Maybe even remember a moment youhaven't thought about in a
while,
Speaker 12 (18:10):
and if you didn't have that growing up, maybe you
are that person now for someoneelse that's just as important.
Speaker 10 (18:18):
So, to David, to Papa and to grandpa, thank you
for showing up for the diapersand the dad jokes, the burgers
and the Broadway nights, thesacrifices and the laughs you've
made our family better.
Funnier and stronger
Speaker 11 (18:33):
to all the dads and father figures listening.
Happy Father's Day.
We appreciate you
Speaker 12 (18:38):
and if you're lucky enough to have a dad in your
life who texts you funny,tiktoks and knows your Starbucks
order, give him an extra hugtoday.
Speaker 10 (18:45):
We'll be back next week with another episode of I
Get It for My Mom, but this weeklet's give it up for the guys
who do so much for us.
Happy.
Happy Father's Day.
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