Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 270 | interviewing our 4 year old son

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

the best episodes of the year. jett it's an honor to be your dad. keep watching until the end to see our past interviews at three and two years old & thank you for watching. love, dad newsletter ��� https://www.familymade.com/newsletter podcast instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/shawnandandrewpods/ shawn's instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/ShawnJohnson shawn's tik tok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnjohnson facebook page! ▶ https://www.facebook.com/ShawnJohnson andrew’s Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/AndrewDEast andrew’s tik tok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewdeast?lang=en (00:00) happy birthday jett james! (00:56) how is jetter, and what are you most excited for? (01:27) tell us about your shoes (02:23) what else do you like to dress up as? (03:06) who is faster, stronger, good, and caring? (03:57) what sport do you like to play, and what do you like to do at home? (04:54) what do you want for your birthday? (05:11) the best part of the summer was… (06:45) what makes jett feel happy? (07:16) tell us about your favorite things and your birthday party! (08:08) who is your favorite superhero? (08:26) when we found out about you being born… (09:45) i am so proud of you… (12:44) a letter to jett (17:48) message to jett in 2024 (21:02) jett’s 3-year-old interview (28:12) jett’s 2-year-old interview (32:20) message to jett in 2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, buddy. Here, you're going to put the microphone up here, remember? And do we eat it? No. What do we do every year on your birthday? We talk about what we like to do in life, who our favorite friends are, and I got to sit down and talk with you. Like great great the best.

You like who? Great grade the best. Yeah, that's your best friend. Don't pick it that. Let's start with what's your name? name jet what's your full name jet what's your middle name um jet james east is it like right here yeah that's right like like this that's usually be loud that that that that would be loud okay how old are you turning this week four oh my

Gosh, are you excited? Uh-huh. Yeah? What are you most excited about being for? Getting on a new motorcycle suit. A new motorcycle suit? Wait, what are you wearing right now? What are you wearing?

This is not a new motorcycle suit because I don't like it. Uh, I'm... What type of shoes do you have on? Boots. Wow, those are fancy boots. You like wearing boots? Yeah. What do you like to drive?

Okay, so you like your motorcycle? Like, like, um, like, when you go to real, like, um, like, um, Bible work, do you wear boots? When I go to real work? No, usually I just wear shoes. Yeah. What do you like to wear? What type of shoes do you like to wear? My new shoes.

You got new shoes? Also, this week, you've been wearing your super fast shoes. What? Yeah, the running shoes. Oh, you mean, like, my new fast shoes? Yeah. Oh. And then remember when you were wearing the soldier shoes, the Army guy's shoes?

You mean the boots? Yeah, sorry, yeah, yeah. What else do you like to dress up as? So you have this outfit? Oh, yeah, that. I think that's what it looks like. That's what it looks like. Really?

Yeah, I think. Okay. You've been liking dressing up as a soldier, right? Wait, is that your army guy? She's like at home in the box? Yeah. Oh. I think so, yeah.

Is it, I think it's, did you rip it? Oh, did I break mine? I think mine did get broken. Yeah, it did. How did it, how did it We ran too fast in it Oh You know daddy can run pretty fast

Who's faster? Mirro you No Who's stronger Mirro you And who's a good guy Mirro you And you

That's right buddy That's right Give me a big one I am proud of you buddy You're very strong You're very fast and you're very caring and what do we do with all that stuff

what do we do with our muscles like we just take care of people when they get hurt or on a back right yeah we protect people that's right

we just don't fight people right that's right we only does are you sledding I am hot no what sports do you like to play i like to play football

yeah and baseball um you think of other sports who's your best friend yeah and what do you like to play with at home Do you like to play with Daddy?

What do you and Daddy like to do? I like to work out. Okay. Is it glowing? It's a light, yeah. It's a sword? No, it's just a light. It's broken.

Do you want to have a sword when you grow up? Yes, for a sword. What do you want for your birthday this year? Like It's like Ninja hat Yeah Like the star

What was your favorite part of the summer Did we go anywhere? Yeah Where do we go? Um, me and Puffy Tots One time Yeah And where else did we go?

Indiana? Indiana. What do we do up there? Play with them? Play with who? Yeah, that's right. That's right. That's right.

You know that your mom and I met because of Guy Guy. Why? Because he introduced us. He thought, I think they'd like to have. hang out. And guess what? We do. We like to hang out so much we had kids. This guy got out kids. Oh, yeah. Who are his kids? Lexi. Yeah. And Davey. Yeah. I know Lexi and Davy.

And Alexa. And Evie. Like, she can run very fast and he's really bad. No, that's not true. No, I would talk to you about it. It was not real. Gotcha. Well, what makes you feel happy? Being real, like the, and like the, like, the, and like the, then.

Why do you say that? It was a lot of dreams. Gotcha. Do you have a lot of dreams? No. What do you like to eat? What's your favorite food? What?

What? What? favorite food? Boxicles. No way. That's the favorite food you have. What about, tell me what your favorite book is. No, that's just a light.

Can you tell me who's coming to your birthday party? Davey and Alexa and. Guy and Alexa. What are we doing for your birthday? I don't know. You don't know what we're doing? Who's your favorite superhero? My daddy.

I'm your favorite superhero? Actually, Spider-Man and you. Hey, Jeter. I can't believe you're turning forward, bro. I remember the day you were born. I remember the day we found out we were having a jet jet. Mom and I were in the backyard and people were shooting paintballs at us, which now feels like it's very fitting.

What paint balls? Pain balls? It's like a type of Nerf gun, but it has pain in it. And when it hits it, it turns a color. And we found out that we were having a boy, and that boy was jet jet. and I'll never forget how excited I was to meet you and I'll never forget your mom and I were there in the hospital

and they pulled you out and I was so in love with you and I've been more and more in love with you ever since, buddy and hanging out with you. I tickle you? I do tickle you. That's right. We like to wrestle, don't we?

And race? Yeah. And we like to ride our bikes? You see, I like to do slips also. On what? Just flipping into water and stuff. Yeah, you're good at those. Actually, I saw a video of you doing flips.

When? At the lake, off the boat. But, Jet, I'm so proud of you. And I love you so much. no someone else I sent it to me but but I think so

hey you know that this is my first time being a dad to a son too so I got a lot to figure out and I'm grateful for how well you listen and I'm grateful for times when I mess up and you forgive me

Jedder and I'm grateful for your giggles and your and I'm grateful for your laughs and your smile and your questions I'm grateful for your how nice to other people you are and I can't wait

to spend another year with you jet what are you most excited about being four birthday just your birthday and four you're not growing up are you? Yeah, I am. You better promise me.

I... You're going to promise me what? They're still going to love me? Okay. Repeat after me. Oh. That's right. Oh.

Do you know what my name is? What? What's my name? Daddy. That's right. You know what? That just how I did. I did.

Hey. What? What, Dad, I can fix it more. Oh. Oh, we like to fix it. Oh, we like to fix stuff too, don't we? too, don't we? Yeah.

Look at you. You got it? Remember we got to put it straight on. Then doing it? Other way. Turn it the other way. Yeah. There you go.

Look at you, bro. Good job. No. Okay, it's good now. Anything else? Anything else? How did this fall off by itself? Anything else you want to talk about?

No. Cooper? You want to talk about Cooper? Let's talk about Cooper. No. Okay. Come here. Give me a hug.

But I want to play here. Jet! Happy birthday. It's your dad. I wanted to continue. continue with a tradition I started with your sister on her previous birthday where I leave a little note to you. This will be in the form of a letter for you instead of a song for her. But I wanted to write something that kind of captures our moment in time with our relationship and where it's at

and how I'm viewing your trajectory. And so I hope you enjoy this. But I wrote this for you and I'll also hand you a copy. But I also wanted to record this just in case. you needed to hear my voice or see my face and be reminded visually how much I love you. So here we go. To my strong, caring, brave boy, happy fourth birthday, Jet. Today, you turn four. And while the world might see that as just another birthday for just another kid, I see it as a sacred milestone in your journey toward becoming the man God created you to be. You were born with a fire in your belly sun a light in your eyes and a smile that can warm glaciers you carry energy that can't be contained and i don't want it to be that wildness in you that hunger to explore

to conquer to run full speed into life is good and it's from god he wired that into your heart and you use it well jetter i've seen glimpses this year of the young warrior that's waking up in you you protect your baby brother you stand up for what's yours you jump off couches and walls like you've just launched from a mountain ledge and sure sometimes that strength shows up in ways that leave crafts broken or siblings frustrated but don't worry you are still learning how to wield your strength and that's what i'm here to help with as i tell you all the time you are already such a good boy you listen you learn you share and you care for those around you have a natural softness and a tenderness that really is precious.

This is worth preserving even as your muscles and manliness grow. Your sweetness shows through your eagerness to help people cross the street, clean people's driveways, and fix what's broken. Jet, it is my honor to walk with you as your father and guide you as you grow through stages of boyhood. Right now, you're in the explorer years. This is your time to try, to play, to risk, to fail, and to be fiercely loved through it all.

You don't have to get it all right. You just have to keep going and know that you're not alone. I will try to reserve my nose for only the most necessary instances. I want you to do dangerous things carefully and see that you do, in fact, have what it takes. But I will make mistakes. I've never followed a four-year-old boy, and so I ask for forgiveness in this process as I learned too.

You know, when I was a boy, your papa, my dad led me and my brothers through a journey based on a book called Raising a Modern Day Night. And it wasn't just about reading or teaching, it was about doing. We would race bikes, we served on mission trips, earned merit badges and Boy Scouts, pushed through tough moments and sports, went to church, and even ran a half marathon together. And each challenge was a right of passage that resulted in shaping our character, earning trust, revealing potential, forging our grit and drawing us closer to each other and to God. And now, Jett, I want to do that with you.

When you do things like rip someone's keychain or wreck your sister's crafts, I see more than the behavior. I see a boy who's searching for something and testing his power. And I want you to know that I'm not afraid to your strength. I actually welcome it, and I will help reshape it. You were made to be a man of strength and tenderness. You were made to be a warrior and a poet. a protector and a provider, and all of that starts here in these days of jumping, yelling,

laughing, crying, and learning what your heart is capable of. Jet, you don't have to earn my love. You have it. You have it fully, freely, and forever. And you're not loved because you behave, perform, or achieve. You're loved because you are mine, and you're loved because you are gods. I pray that you will grow to walk closely with Jesus, us not as a distant figure, but as your rescuer, your older brother, and your king. And I pray that you'll always know that your dad is proud of you, not just for what you do, but for who you are, buddy. So let's keep adventuring together.

The world is big, but your heart is bigger. Here's to another year of bike rides and neighborhood watch, workouts, decaf coffee, running super fast, protecting people, fixing things, and learning together. happy birthday jet i'm with you every step of the way love you son quick message to future jet here when you're watching this buddy i just want to let you know that i love you so much and i'm so proud of you you have brought so much joy to my life bro just this morning we were on a bike ride you're not even three years old we're going on two mile bike rides you're doing all these fancy tricks you're standing up on

the pedals you're doing no feet you're doing one foot and just your courage and excitement and your approach to life is life changing for me and look I'm going to be an imperfect dad I will make mistakes but I ask for your forgiveness this is both of our first times doing this I've never been a dad you've never grown up and so we're going to stumble through this thing together but I really am thankful for who you are becoming to be and it is my mission just to encourage you to do more of that and I hope I do that I can't wait to see what you become and who you impact because already already dude you're like the warmest most welcoming person we passed I can tell you this we passed 10 people on our bike ride this morning and every single

one he said hello to and we were at the pharmacy this morning together and he was like hi uh i'm jett jett what's your name and then they'd be like stephanie he's like hi stephanie i was like you challenge us in ways we never imagined in beautiful ways you are so talented and so loving and so extroverted and so just amazing you make us want to be the absolute best to mommy and daddy

in the entire world yeah I'm really thankful for you just last week when we were flying back from Charleston we were at the airport and you found a friend that you were talking to an older man and you sat down in front of them you had a five minute conversation at the end

you said I'm Jetchett what's your name and you said you're my best best friend what's your name and he said uh he was he was he ended up being a senator he's a senator and anyway it's like it's crazy who you stumble upon it's crazy that you have this magnetic personality and it's just an honor to know you man i also don't know how to tell you this and i don't know how to explain it to you except for everyone in our life will explain it to you someday when you're older but you have a reputation you truly have a reputation within our community, our family, our friends, you touch people's lives in a different way. We have had

parents come up and say, I just want my kids to be around Jet. And I just want my kids to like see his outgoingness and his adventurous side and his courage and his light. You are truly incredible. Happy third birthday, buddy. I love you so much. Enjoy the interview. baby boy dad I talk talking guitar

all right jet wait don't look the okay okay hello

how are you what's your name Jet Jet what's your full name what that's my name that's my name

nice dude dude okay your name is jet James East and how old are you about to be four you're about to be three your birthday soon yeah when's your birthday why you whispering yo are we about to be your best buddies dude okay um you're about to be three and your birthday is July 19th can you say July 19th no just talk normal You just got to talk normal. Okay. All you got to do is just, hey, just talk to me.

What's your favorite thing to do? Oh. I can't have a big motorcycle. You like riding motorcycles? Big motorcycles. And what have we been doing every morning in the last couple days? Riding bikes, bike rides? Yeah.

You and me? Yeah. With no training wheels, right? No. Okay. And what did we do this morning, too, that you're also into? Science experiments? Yeah. Yeah, you like science experiments? Yeah.

Okay. What's your favorite color? Blue? Blue. Mine too, dude. Nucks. What are we about to go see in four weeks? A lava. Yeah. And what are these? Lava shoes. Lava shoes, dude. Yeah, they're your hiking shoes, man.

What's your favorite toy that you play with? Motorcycles. What type of motorcycles you have? Orange. Orange. Who are your favorite people to spend time with? I like. I play more motorcycle.

Okay. What's your favorite book that you read? What's your favorite book that you read? A book? Gum. Gum. Gum. What's your favorite food to eat? Strawberries.

Strawberries, really. Nice. Okay. Can you say actually for me? Actually. Can you say, dang it? Yeah. Those are some of my favorite words that you say.

Let me sit right here. That's a little. Okay. Here. I'll change this then. Hi. You want to keep. We'll keep going.

We'll keep going. Okay, that's where mommy usually sits. You know, where are we right now? At poppy's in my house. Yeah. At work? Yeah, okay. Who are your brothers and sisters?

Mommy and Poppy. What? Mimi and Poppy. What's your name for sister? What do you call sister? Abba. Abba. Abba.

And your little brother's name is what? Bear Bear. Barbara, that's your little brother? Yeah. And how old is sister? Mine, like this. She's four, almost five. Yeah.

Who's your best friend? Daddy. Oh. Mommy. Dude, I love you, man. What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to be? What do you want to do when you grow up?

What's what you want to do? What is this? What's your favorite animal? A lion. Lion? You like lions. I like lions. Do you want to sing a song?

What song do you like to sing? Oh, McDonald had a farm. No. Lions. You want to sing a song? You want to sing a song? No, lions.

Okay. What are something that you're really good at, Jett, Jett? No, lions. Okay. Hey, can I tell you a couple things you're really good at? You're really good at making people feel warm and welcome. Yeah. You're really good at living life with passion and excitement.

You're really good with being curious, buddy. And you're really good cuddler. Do you know that? Uh-huh. Yeah, you're a good cuddler. What do you love about your family? Oh, do you know what your last name is? What's your last name?

Yeah. East. Uh-oh. Is your last name East? Yeah, East. Remember, what's our song that we sing together? We are the East, the mighty, mighty East. People want to know who we are.

So we are. We are the East. There you go. Do you know that I love you? Yeah. Do you know that I'm proud of you? Yeah. Do you know that you're perfect just the way you

are where's mommy she's coming to work actually uh jet do you know that this is my first time being a dad too yeah and i'm going to make mistakes yeah but we're doing it together and so i just ask and pray that how's a microphone taste okay i pray that we have patience with each other and forgiveness and grace my hope and dream is that by the end of the day when you're an adult wait are you going to grow up Yeah Wait a minute You can't grow up I can't love you

You'll still love me if you grow up Yeah Well I hope that when you do grow up That you and I will be best buddies Okay My goal is That it's going to take some growing pains To get there, you know

But Jeter You are amazing And you live life wide open buddy And you've brought so much joy To my life already You're going to make me cry You're going to make me cry Why?

Because happy tears. I love you. I love you. Can you give me a kiss? Give me two-hand kiss. We're going to have a lot of fun together. Yeah. And I want to say happy birthday.

Say happy birthday. No, it's almost your birthday. Okay. It's almost your birthday, dude. You're going to be three. You're going to be three. You're going to be three. You're a goofball, dude.

Yeah. I got, uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. There. Uh-oh. Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh.

Oh, my God. We got off dangled that, didn't we? What's my gum? Jett. What's your name? I said. What's your name? I'm done.

Jet James. James? Say Jet James East. That's a microphone. Can you say microphone? Microphone. Jet, what's my name? Daddy? Daddy. Yeah.

Hey, what's your favorite song? The wheels on the bus go. what are you doing in the microphone don't eat hey don't don't eat that all through the town or hey what about this song old mcdonald hat oh is that a race car hey what do you like to do do you like to drive uh you like to drive gators and airplanes and go and go carts And boats? Oh, hey, do you remember the big boat we went on? Uh-oh. Here.

Okay. Jetsha, you remember that big boat we went on? Can you say big boat? Big boat. Yeah, and where do we take to big boat? You want to do it? Okay, you spin it that way. Okay.

Okay. Did we go to Greece on the big boat? Greece. Greece? Hey, do you know the old McDonald's song? Old McDonald had a farm What goes next? E.I.e.io. And on that farm, he had a horse.

E.I.E.I.O. With a... M... And a nay, nay there. Here, a nay, there, and everywhere. Oh, McDonald had a farm. what about rain rain go away come again another day good job hey what do i tell you every night before you go to bed we say we say our prayers and i say we say and the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever Forever and never. Amen.

And then we say, I love you. I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you. And you're perfect just the way you are. Dream big. Sleep tight. And I'll be here when you wake up.

Hey, remember when we go on Neighborhood Watch and we say, Neighborhood Watch Dogs Unite. Are you? Hey, what do you think about bikes? Do you like bikes? Do you like running? Do you like cars? Guides.

Yeah. Are you right-handed or left-handed? Do you know? I think you're left-handed. Jett, do you like to swim? Yeah. Oh, and do you have a sister? What do you call her?

You call her Abba? Abba. Yeah, Abba. You're all done? Okay, buddy, can I have a hug? Oh, thank you. And a kiss? Wait, give me a kiss.

I love you. This is, this jet, this is called work. Can you say work? Work. Do you like work? Oh, there's another microphone. Work. jet listen buddy i don't know if you ever watch this i don't know if you ever care to but i want to record

this and a small off chance that you're watching this 10 20 years in the future and maybe i'm not around because you never know of life but i just want to say how much of a joy it's been these first two years with you and it's been completely different than with raising your sister but i got to say the amount of joy and playfulness and curiosity and excitement that you've brought into my life. And just these first two years has been awesome. Your excitement about trains has gotten me excited about trains. And so now every time I hear a train passing by, I stop and I look at it instead of just blasting right by it like I used to. And I'm back loving hot wheels because of you and I'm back loving bikes and I got to say there are only a handful of my friends two or

three that I can name. They give me as riled up and playful and excited as you do. And so I am just so excited to continue building our relationship, buddy. I love you. I also have no idea what I'm doing this together. We're figuring out together. This is both of our first times being the son of a father and the father of a son. So I pray for your patience and your understanding and your forgiveness when needed. But I am actively trying to be the best that I can for you on these bookshelves. I got a lot of books that are pouring wisdom into me. I'm fortunate to have a lot of mentors pouring wisdom into me so that I can prepare you the best I can for what this world has to offer. And hopefully by the time we're done, we'll be friends.

you'll be a responsible contributing citizen to the world and excited about something in life no matter what it is. And your mom and I have been fortunate enough to have a couple things that have gotten excited, that have gotten us excited about life. And I just pray that you have one thing that you're excited about. And it doesn't have to be the same thing that we're excited about. But at the rate you're going, I have no concern that you will find at least one thing to be excited about. You truly are a joy when you walk into a room, your teachers say so, your classmates show it, and you really are so thoughtful, caring, curious, loving, patient. I love watching you and your sister interact, and I hope that relationship continues to thrive and grow, but I just want to say I love you,

happy birthday. I'm planning on recording one of these messages, year so I won't get too sappy all the time but I wanted to get sappy at least once a year so I love you jet James and you're my dude dog you're my dude it's been a really interesting year losing my dad and thinking about the father he was to me is his son and it's got me excited and I felt more responsibility to do fatherhood well and to be an intentional father for you than I ever have So I hope that shows through. I hope you feel that. I'm not perfect by any means, buddy.

But if I can set you up to have fewer flaws or at least different flaws than I do, I'll consider it a job well done. I love you. I'm proud of you. And you're perfect just the way you are. I said it to you every night and I mean it, buddy. I'm glad to know you. Let's do this together.

Dad, man. Oh, are we flying? Yeah, Jet fly, okay. No. Oh, wow. No! Oh, no. Jet, how old are you?

Can you say two? Who? Hi. Come on, we got this. Are we going over there? Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

Uh-oh. Hey, what's your name? Come on. Come on. What's your name? No. What's your name? Jetting.

Uh-oh. Jeter, what's my name? Daddy. Jet, what sound is a lion make? Why. Daddy's it there. Okay. Jet, what's your favorite animal?

Jet, do you like ice cream or popsicles? Popicles. Popsicles? Mm-hmm. Yeah, help you? Okay. Do you like dinoes or monsters? Monsters.

Monsters, yeah, me too. And do you like going, do you like bicycles or cars? Do you like planes? Mm-hmm. You like to fly? Mm-hmm. Fast or slow? Slow.

Slow. I like to go fast. What do neighborhood watchdog say? No. Well, I, I, ah, ah, ah, ooh. Jed, do you like to, do you like to fly or drive? Drive. He's my, hey, can you say I am a, a, good, boy.

Boy. Good job. Jet, Jet, you're my boy, and I love you. Okay, wait. Wait, Tcha, Tcha. Tcha. I love you. No way.

Tcha, can say, I love you, Mama. I love, Mama. What is that? One, two. Ha! What is it? What is it? Jet, can you say a couple things?

Okay, bye-bye.