- Ray Petelin filmed a short, sit-down interview with his daughter on her first day at kindergarten.
- The cute video became a tradition; he did the same thing at the start of every school year.
- When his child began as a senior this fall, the dad posted a viral highlights reel to social media.
For the last 13 years, Ray Petelin has taken his daughter, Elizabeth, aside before she leaves for her first day of school and asked for a quick favor.
"I usually say, 'Can you spare a few minutes for your old man?'" he told Business Insider.
Sometimes, the girl was a little reluctant to comply — especially during the challenges of middle school — but she'd dutifully sit in the armchair or sofa and answer her dad's questions on video.
First, she'd say and spell her first and last name. Next, she'd say what she was most excited about for the upcoming school year and discuss what she wanted to do for a living after she grew up.
The Petelins' back-to-school compilation video has gone viral
Beginning with her first day of Kindergarten and ending with her first day as a high school senior, Petelin shared the interview with family and friends to enjoy.
"It became a tradition," he said.
Recently, to mark Elizabeth's debut as a 12th grader, the 47-year-old uploaded a highlights reel to social media, showing her answers over the years. The charming film has gained more than 37 million views on TikTok.
"I love my kid, and I always want to share and brag about her as much as I can," he said. "She's a wonderful daughter, and seeing the transformation as she gets older is great for everyone."
He said he originally intended to interrogate Elizabeth in 2012 for kindergarten and in 2024 for senior year but decided to make it an annual affair.
"I'd wanted her to see the contrast between being 5 and 17, but after finding she changed so much over just one year, I wanted to capture the in-between," he added.
The 90-second film starts with Petelin asking 17-year-old Elizabeth to spell her name before switching to the kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade versions of herself and so on.
At the age of 5, she said she wanted to become a doctor. Two years later, she said she wanted to be "maybe a doctor, a teacher, or a magician."
Elizabeth's ambitions have varied over the years
"Second grade was my favorite," Petelin, a TV meteorologist, told BI. "She was animated and excited to do the interview that year."
He said that Elizabeth, an only child, was interested in a medical career from an early age. "She always had that helping aspect to her, " he added, noting that she once said she wanted to be an open heart surgeon.
The keen volleyball player mentioned physical therapy several years in a row as a teen. In the final quiz, she said she was interested in becoming a physical therapist or a nurse.
As for complying with her dad's wishes, Petelin said that Elizabeth was less enthusiastic about doing the interviews when she entered middle school.
The dad said Elizabeth recognized the emotional significance of the videos
"Fifth and sixth grade were the toughest," he said. "That is when she asked me to stop posting them online, which I did. I could tell she didn't want to be part of it. There were a couple of years when I didn't know if we would get the full 13 years.
"Then, in seventh and eighth grade, and especially in high school, she got more receptive because she knew it was important to me."
In an email to BI, Elizabeth wrote that she had been somewhat embarrassed by the videos at times but was delighted with the new compilation, which she will treasure forever.
"Our annual video was a special thing we made time for every year," the teen, currently applying for college, wrote. "There were a couple of years that I wasn't really into it, but I am glad my dad stuck with it. When I saw what he made at the end, I loved it."
Petelin said both were thrilled by the video's reaction and flattered that people found it "cute."
"I hope it inspires other parents to do the same kind of thing," Petelin of Pittsburgh said.
Petelin is fiercely proud of his high school senior
Meanwhile, his bond with Elizabeth couldn't be stronger. The pair is so close that it co-hosts a weekly science/educational segment, "Hey Ray," for Petelin's station, KDKA-TV.
"She's a very hard worker at school, and her favorite classes are anatomy and molecular biology," the father said. "She's also a lifeguard during the summer and has always been a hard worker."
As for the future, Petelin would like to show the back-to-school reel at family occasions, including a possible wedding when Elizabeth is older. "She will never be able to hide from that video," he joked.
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