A DAD has shared a heart-warming video montage of interviews he conducted with his daughter on every first day of school from nursery all the way up to her late teenage years.
Ray Petelin, 47, posted the wholesome collection of clips capturing his daughter Elizabeth on every first day of school, starting from her early years of nursery to age 17.
Asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, young Elizabeth told her dad, a meteorologist for Pittsburgh’s KDKA, she aspired to become a ”doctor”.
However, as the years went on, the girl’s dreams and career aspirations changed – from teacher, to magician, to waitress, to performing open-heart surgeries, to helping people recover as a physical therapist, to ”a million things”.
Since sharing the heart-warming montage on X – formerly known as Twitter – the 47-year-old father has also spoken to Daily Mail about the idea behind the wholesome concept.
He told the publication: ”I wanted to interview Elizabeth before her first day of kindergarten, so I could show her how much she changed when she became a senior in high school.
”The next year, I noticed how much she changed just between kindergarten and first grade, so I decided to interview her again.”
This, he explained, is when it became an annual tradition – although Elizabeth wasn’t always too keen to take part.
According to Ray, who’s also posted the adorable footage on Instagram, the daughter ”was really into the interview” – but as she entered the teenage phase, there was some pushback.
The dad explained that when the girl was in her fifth and sixth grades, she thought the interviews were ”lame” – however, the back-then teenager still participated.
Ray said: ”Once she got into seventh grade, I think she realized how special this was to me.
”I really think that’s when it became important and special to Elizabeth, too.”
Now in her final year of school, Elizabeth is beyond grateful her dad came up with the idea and persisted with it throughout the years.
The wholesome video montage – over a minute-long – has taken the internet by storm, winning the father-daughter duo more than an astronomical 200,000 likes.
Many parents responded that they wanted to do something similar for their own children.
”This is awesome and makes me totally want to do this for my daughter. She’s starting a daycare in a couple weeks,” one X user said.
Another chimed in: ”My first starts day care in a few weeks. Will be doing this!”
I'VE seen them all over my FYP.
But I can assure you that I will NOT be getting my 10-year-old son and six-year-old daughter back to school boxes.
Not only have us parents had to get through six weeks of holidays – with many of us working as well – we’ve had to shell out for days out, a never-ending amount of food and things to keep them entertained.
Then we have to pay for a whole new set of uniform, new shoes – which can cost upwards of £50 a pop – and even stationery.
So why on earth do they need a back to school bag?
I also treat my kids to a new lunchbox and school backpack each year, so that’s their present for going back to school – and that’s plenty.
But I won’t say no to a back to school box for the parents!
After all, we’ve done an amazing job.
By Sarah Bull, Senior Digital Reporter
After going viral on the platform, Ray said that together with Elizabeth the wholesome pair have been doing a weekly science/education segment that’s titled ”Hey Ray!” for KDKA for years now.
The proud father told Daily Mail that Elizabeth ”sort of grew up in front of our viewers on KDKA-TV” and that fellow residents of Pittsburgh ”would love to see her growing up in that video”.
The pair, as well as Ray’s wife Rachel, ”are still shocked with how quickly and how far this special tradition” has spread across the internet.
”If we’re going to go viral for something, I’m glad it’s for being a loving family,” he said, fondly.
