I Get It From My Mom: Authentic Conversations Between a Mother and Her Daughters on Parenting and Growing Up

Maggie's Sweet 16: Navigating Babyhood, Childhood, Teen Years, and What’s Next

• Elissa, Ava & Maggie Klein • Season 1 • Episode 8

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Episode 8: Maggie's Sweet 16: Navigating Babyhood, Childhood, Teen Years, and What’s Next

In this very special episode of I Get It From My Mom, we’re celebrating Maggie’s Sweet 16—with lots of laughs and memories.

Elissa, Ava, and Maggie take a heartfelt (and hilarious) walk down memory lane, from Maggie’s early baby years, through the middle school challenges of COVID, to the confident, independent young woman she is today. We talk about:

✅ What Maggie was like as a baby, toddler, and little kid
✅ How COVID shaped her middle school years and friendships
✅ Finding independence in high school and building her own identity
✅ A fun Q&A about Maggie’s dreams for college, career, and family
✅ Big lessons for parents and teens about growing up, supporting each other, and celebrating milestones

Whether you’re a parent raising a teenager, a teen navigating growing pains, or just someone who loves a good coming-of-age story, this episode will make you smile—and maybe tear up a little too.

🎧 Listen now and help us wish Maggie the happiest Sweet 16!

Takeaways: 

📌 Parents—don’t wait for birthdays to tell your kids how proud you are.
📌 Teens—your path is your own. You get to write your story, one chapter at a time.
📌 Everyone—celebrate the people you love loudly, often, and with chocolate cake.

👉 Follow us on Instagram @i.get.it.from.mymom and share your favorite memories from your 16th year!

Hey everyone, it's me, Maggie, and this week I'm taking over the intro because it's my birthday and honestly, what better time to make it all about me? Yep. It's all about you. Maggie. Welcome back to, I Get It from my mom, where we have the conversations moms and daughters should probably be having, but with a little more honesty and a little more sass. I'm Ava Maggie's older sister, and I've had the spotlight for 18 years, so I'm generously letting her borrow with this episode. How kind. And I'm officially turning 16 on April 30th. So today's episode is kind of a trip down memory lane, a celebration and reflection of the best topic ever. Me. We'll talk about how you came into our lives, how you grew up. What you've taught us and where you're headed next.'cause growing up isn't just about cake and candles, as much as we love those, it's about finding your voice, owning your story, and figuring out who you wanna be. So whether you're a little sibling, a big sibling, a proud parent, or just someone trying to survive the teenage years, this one's for you. Happy birthday, Maggie. Thanks. Let's get into it. Let's start at the beginning. Maggie, you were planned, wanted, wish for and time just right. That's how I'm often described. Wish for, planned to wish for. My sister and I were nearly three years apart, and that's how we planned for the two of you. But you guys did think Maggie was gonna be a boy, right? Yes. My second pregnancy seemed much easier. No offense, Ava, I gained less weight. I carried her very much like a basketball, so it just seemed different from yours, Ava. So while we waited until birth to know the gender for both of you, we did guess that Maggie was gonna be a boy. But sure enough, on April 30th, 2009, the doctor exclaimed. It's a girl. Were you and dad disappointed? I wasn't a boy disappointed. No. I think part of us wanted a son since we already had a daughter, and it would be nice to have both. And you know, daddy's such a guy's guy and loves sports, and I'm sure would've loved a son to share that with. But I also know how close two sisters can be. So for Ava's sake, I wanted you to be a girl. Either way. We were just happy and excited to have a healthy baby. And what exactly is the story of my name Maggie Rose. That's a good question. Not so much a story necessarily. We frankly, just like somewhat less. Modern names or even older names that were back in style and we liked ones that ended in vowels for girls. And for some reason with you I was hooked on an M. So Maggie's a bit unconventional, so it, since it is your given name and you have not, Margaret, although I know people always so many questions to ask you about Margaret, but we thought it worked for a girl and for someone who's older, so we went with it. And Rose was for your great-grandmother who passed only days before you were born, and we do know that our boy name was going to be Wesley, which is now our dog's name. So glad you got to finally use it. Yeah, well it was your gonna be boy name too. So Wesley's the dog, does that mean you two always wanted two kids? Yes. Dad and I each came from a family of two kids. We each have a sister, so that's what we knew. Plus I have two hands, or there are two of us. We like the idea of never being outnumbered. I think I look like you now. Did I look like you when I was born? Well, when Ava was born, she looked just like dad. No doubt about it. You, Maggie, were certainly more what I expected my child to look like. Your face was a little around or you had dark hair. I'd say you definitely look more like my family. Mostly like Grammy actually. I honestly don't really remember anything about her being born. I was so young, but was I good with her? Was she a good baby? Um, yeah. Maggie was a relatively easy baby again compared to Ava, which we'll focus on for your birthday. VE in a moment, right? Very flexible as a second child so she could nap anywhere and got schlepped around with whatever your schedule was. Ava, she didn't sleep through the night until almost one years old, but at least when she woke up to feed, she was happy and went to bed fairly easily. And Ava, you were actually a great big sister. There was never an issue. Once the second kid comes around, you sadly, as a parent, need the first one to grow up a bit and do some things on their own. So we made sure that things like your snacks or juice boxes were very accessible for you since you invariably. Always needed something the minute I sat down to nurse Maggie. Uh, and we made the focus of everything we do still. You, we moved you to a big girl room and got rid of your pacifiers and had you potty trained even before Maggie came along. We never made you help or take care of her unless you wanted to be involved. But you didn't show any signs of jealousy, and you were always good with Maggie and she adored you. At the beginning. She would just stare at you and then it turned into giggling at you, and then eventually it was just copying everything you did. Now I wanna know more about what I was like as a baby, like what was my first word? I'm pretty sure it was. No, at least that's how I remember it. Which I think reflects a lot about your personality. Were there like certain things it was attached to growing up? Yes. You know, you always loved your pacifier. Your paci. That was a process to get rid of eventually. Um, and you had your stuffed bear, which you still haven't sleep with, although now I believe you call him snowy and not bear. But to tell you the truth, Maggie, and I hate to say it, I think this is actually the third bear. Version. Wait, really? This was with us since Bear was like, I think, knew that since Maggie was like three, we've had this bear bear when I was three versus if I was like six, then I would be concerned. But he's been around a long time. When did I crawl and walk or talk? All was pretty much on time. You sat up in about six months. You crawled out like eight months. You walked by 14 months and before that you were a long time of kind of standing up and holding on and moving around, but before walking was 14 months. You had words before a year and you were stringing words together. Well, before two years old I was quite, very advanced. And what did I call you so advanced. Um, let's see. You called me mama, dad, and Ava was weirdly. Ah, yeah. Although eventually you learn how to say Ava and you went through a phase where you actually called me EMA when you were in preschool. Was I a friendly child? Was I good with other people? Um, you were definitely more on the shy side, not with kids, but with adults. You took a bit to warm up to people, I feel, feel like maybe you still do a little bit. Yeah. Um, and you're a bit more of a. Whoops. And then your sister Ava was always gung-ho, would try everything, jump at everything. You were more cautious and did things at your own pace, which is perfectly fine. Again, I think you're still a little like that. Let other people go first. You could see how they do, then you'll do it. Well, I think I sounded like the perfect baby. Absolutely. Perfect. You weren't just a sweet baby, you were a fun little kid, curious, observant, cute as anything. Other kids like to play with you, and teachers loved you. They always said your behavior was excellent and you were super helpful. I definitely had some best friends of my own, some in preschool, and then again in elementary school. I do remember always liking school, but I also really struggled with my handwriting, didn't I? Yeah. Dad's still convinced you're not really a lefty, but just a bad rightie. Who's faking it? I like to argue I'm ambidextrous. I can do most things with two hands. All right. Not right though. Not right. Can't really do it with either. Yeah, and it's, I can do sports with right hands. We had to get you services for occupational therapy. You were very bright kid, but we're not very good at translating what was in your brain down to something on the paper. I mean, frankly, your handwriting was. Illegible, which was crazy, but this may be a good lesson for other parents. We knew Maggie needed help and I had to have countless meetings with the Department of Education of New York and Maggie's school to fight for her to get those services. They were convinced that since she was fairly bright and wasn't critical to address her OT needs. But you know, we fiercely fought and argued and advocated for you for years. I mean, we were in meeting after meeting about this. So my advice to parents is if you sense your child needs something or if a test doesn't show exactly what you want, don't relax about it. You know, don't hesitate to have your child tested for something or fight for the services they need. Ignore any stigma around it. Best to address it when they're young. I don't ever remember really getting tested for it, but I definitely remember doing OT when I needed it and getting pulled outta class and having all my fun fidget twice to increase my hand strength. Oh, it was so much fun. Fidget. I was always told my hand couldn't keep up with my brain, so clearly I was very ahead. Moving on. I mean, me and Ava were always pretty close, right? Yeah. I mean, I, when I think about our childhood together, I just remember us being best friends. We were in the same school. I remember getting rewarded at school was that I get got to go and see you. I got to go to your dance classes. I remember we had play dates together. We had friends who were siblings too. Yeah, that's when I think about my childhood, I just remember the two of us. Absolutely. I mean, so much of your lives were obviously Yeah, just together. And it's funny'cause I look back and think of you as such an easy kid, Maggie, you generally went with the flow, but I also think as a second child we maybe just assumed you were cool with everything going on around you. Dad coached your softball and he coached Davis' softball. We signed you up for ballet since Ava had done it. We sent you to sleep weight camp. Since Ava was there, I'm not saying these were the wrong decisions for you, but we kind of just maybe followed a parenting formula. Did we get it wrong? I mean, I don't ever remember being forced to do anything or into different activities. There were definitely things I liked that Ava didn't I? My love for stuffed animals always, but. I dunno. I feel like the sports I used to play, I never liked TV shows or movies as much as Ava did growing up. I prefer a hands-on thing, a game, or an activity. I did softball for a very long time until I just determined that it wasn't my sport. I definitely did not like soccer when you signed me up for it. But that was more me than Ava and I definitely did love camp. I hated soccer. I don't know. I don't know if I ever did soccer, but I hated it. I have never liked soccer. Um, but did you ever feel like people thought of you as Ava's younger sister rather than just Maggie? I don't think so. Certainly not outside the house. There were times in elementary school when all the kids in your grade would know me at a as Ava's little sister and at camp sometimes too. But I never felt like I was in your shadow. I always spoke up when I wanted to, said what I needed to, said what's on my mind, and if I didn't think something, I didn't say it. I just felt like I was doing my own thing and I was Ava's younger sister, but I never felt like I was being overshadowed by her. Truth of the matter, is that something like camp, no one probably remembers me, but everyone remembers you. You were there for much longer than I did, so if anything, I'm Maggie's sister now. There you go. And let's talk about the things you did, voice that you wanted, mags, do you remember all your birthday themes through the years? I definitely do all the ones at hip ball park. In the little party room, the build to bear theme, the frozen theme, the little Olaf cardboard cutout I had. The shirt I can picture the posters, the SpongeBob theme, the unicorn theme, the candy land theme, all the activities you would make like pin the horn on the unicorn and candy trivia, and all your incredible art skills coming out. What would be your theme this year if you had a party? Definitely like money or clothes or makeup, something. I like Starbucks, definitely. And this is why you no longer have birthday parties, max. Then came middle school and with it covid. Maggie, I think it's safe to say that was the toughest time in your life so far. Definitely Covid hit as I was just finishing fifth grade, which means I was starting at a brand new school from behind a screen. I didn't get to say bye to all my friends I had when I was younger and was now thrust into middle school where I didn't know anyone. I wasn't in a classroom, just sitting on my bed all day stuck on a computer. It was awful. Yeah, it definitely was. You went from being this super social connected kid to isolated and quiet. Yeah. It was hard to watch. You struggled socially, but. Also, it seemed emotionally, it, it, it changed your rhythm. I know it changed how you saw yourself for a while. Yeah. I definitely didn't know how to like, fit in anymore. I'm someone who needs to see people to be social. Like not being able to do that really like disconnected me from people and even my own voice. I mean, maybe it was the normal part of Tweenage time, but it was like being stuck with all of you. Maybe it was how disconnected I felt to the real world, but I definitely struggled. Yeah. It was hard as a parent to watch you change and not be yourself. Do you think we should have handled it better or addressed it differently or not to make it about us? So said another way. Is there advice you'd give another 11 or 12-year-old struggling with loneliness and to their parents? Um, I don't think you guys did anything wrong. I think there probably could have been signs you could have read a little further into to see if I was doing okay, but I think. Growing up is hard, especially over covid. It's different when you get to go to school every day. When you're struggling with loneliness, you should just like find your people. I know that's easier said than done, but like finding someone you're friends with, finding someone you connect to. Join every club, join every event, go to anything, see the people that are there and just try and talk to someone. And so their parent, I think focus on the signs if they're really talkative and really social. And then they go through a period where they really can't do that, like covid or they're just acting very differently. Maybe check in and maybe it is a deeper issue. Was there something that you feel like helped you pull out of it, or was it kind of just when you returned back to school? I think returning to school really helped. I knew people who went to my school and during Covid we would have some days where we would go in person and some days not. So I met people. And by eighth grade, I feel like my whole school was very close with each other, or my whole grade was, and I talked to people every day and I saw people every day and made friends and did stuff outside of school, which definitely helps me feel more normal again. So I think for you it's probably a combination of, it's a little transition time anyway, from like elementary to middle. It was also covid and then 11, 12, 13 are years where kids are finding themselves anyway, especially girls. Right. Definitely. Yeah. But that was good advice. Okay, so now here you are. 16. 16 candles, confident. You're funny, you're strong, you're chatty, you're loving a completely original, fully formed Maggie. You chose a different high school than Ava. Have joined clubs and after school activities. Have good friends. Yeah, I definitely feel like in the year that I went away, you definitely changed a lot too. There's all these things that you never used to like, that you like now and you didn't never wanted to do or try new foods and then I'm gone and then suddenly you're all open to these new things. Yeah, I feel like I'm able to say I find finally truly my own person and picking my own path. It's nice to be the only child for a bit. I have amazing friends. I'm doing well in school, and I figure out what I care about on my terms. You're so independent now, but you still have a strong connection to your family, which we love. Of course. And I appreciate the daily hugs I get because, no, I need them, especially without if I need double, but I also know there's plenty of times when you're not in the mood for all of us or too much going on around you. You're someone who. We know it still needs your space and needs a load time, and you still share things when you're ready and when you're in the mood. Yeah, I like to spend my time alone, sometimes lying in bed, just relaxing and entertaining myself with something I have in my room, and don't always want to be around people or getting questioned or just having to talk about myself constantly. So you're finishing your sophomore year in high school right now. Is there something you've learned these last two years of school that you'd like to approach how you change things in maybe the next two years of school? I think I've gotten better at studying this year, like knowing how to prepare for a test, doing work on time. During Covid. Obviously all of that was very hard, so now I kind of had to relearn how to do it. And I growing up was never really a kid who had to study. I kind of always knew what was going on, but after Covid I definitely lost that train a little. So now it's kind of just getting back into, this is now like really school covid doesn't really matter anymore. So now it really is just school and doing everything and doing every test and seeing everybody every day and doing all my work. And how about as you think about now you're in the important years of 11th to 12th grade. Are there other things you're focused on other than only grades? I think definitely coming in with junior year for college, I'm thinking about things I'm doing outside of school, trying to find jobs to do, trying to find specific things that interest me that I can focus on or do clubs for starter club, join a team just to help prepare me for that. Besides just keeping my grades up, but also just finding who I am and finding what I can do with that Makes sense. So, Maggie, if you don't mind, we'd love to dive into what makes you tick a bit more and how you think about the future. So we're gonna ask you some questions to put you on the spot, which you'll just have to suck up and go along with, even if it's your birthday. That sounds great. Okay. So what's your favorite subject in school now and what do you think you wanna study in college one day? Um, I think my favorite subject. It's probably like science or even like global history. I think I'm interested in like learning things. I like knowing things. Definitely not, math is not my strong suit. I like learning history and like knowing about it, like science when I'm taking chemistry and you like learn something. I don't like math where it all builds on each other and I have to know it all or remember everything. I don't like ELA. I am not the best writer and I don't love reading. I don't really know what I wanna study in college. I've looked at like a political policy thing, a like a political science thing, something that kind of, I'm a very good debater. I love debating. My favorite class is probably ethics. To be fair, I love a Socratic seminar where I have to debate my idea. So I wanna do something where I can fight for what I believe in, talk for myself, talk with what I think, talk with my ideas. So you just wanna argue with us all the time. Definitely. I'll be honest. Any idea on the type of college you see yourself going to? Um, I definitely want a school with sports. I like a spirit after going to camp for so many years. I need something I can cheer for and be spirited in. I don't want a city after growing up in a city, but I'd like to be near a city'cause I'm someone who gets bored very easily and I would like to have something exciting to go out and do. Even on just weekends if it's like a 40, 45 minute drive away. But I definitely want something a little more rural and a little campusy definitely, but definitely big inspira and maybe near a city or just having a good town to do stuff in. Makes sense. So do you see yourself then after college, living in a city or maybe more suburbs? I think I definitely wanna raise a family in the city especially after growing up as a teenager in the city. I know what it's like to be able to get myself around and do my own thing. I mean, I trust myself. Hopefully I'll be able to trust my kids. But I can't imagine having to one, drive everywhere and then also drive my kids everywhere if they wanna go. I really like the freedom and the like diversity that being in a city has taught us. And I wanna grow up. I wanna raise a family in that same setting. I think the most important question is, are you gonna have a dog? Definitely. What about kids? Do you know how many you want? Got any names in the Notes app? What are we thinking there? I think similar to Mommy and Dad. Yeah, I grew up with one sibling. I think I would like my kids to have one sibling. I also don't wanna be outnumbered with kids. I think four is a very good number for. Sitting in a car, sitting at a restaurant. Four is just such like a good even number. And I definitely like have names written down, but I don't think I've really thought through it. Gotta keep, I'm really bad at like, if I know someone with that name, I can't name my kid that.'cause then I just constantly think of them. You gotta keep'em a secret. Don't share. I really need to be like different. Don't steal'em. One people steal, or two, they'll have opinions and nobody wants opinions. That's true. Like, you name me Ava. And then suddenly everyone's named Eva. Everyone. Ava. I did not know that. Sorry. Maggie's a little. Maggie's has a nice nickname. I like my name. Yeah. Although she recently met another Maggie Klein. That's true. If you think about the future, let's say like the next five years or so, what would you say you're most worried about and what are you most excited for? I think obviously what I'm most worried about is getting into college and then obviously what I'm most excited about is going into college. I think it's definitely a stressful experience to have to wait around and see what you got into and then like pack forward and decide if where you wanna go for the next four years of your life. But it's definitely something I'm excited for. I don't really know what else HAP is happening in the next five years of my life besides college, what I have to look forward to in graduating high school. But it's kind of a mix of emotions for both things. Well, obviously I think we should circle back to the most important thing, your birthday. We didn't overly plan anything this year. Your birthday's also in the middle of the week, but let's say it's a weekend. What is your perfect birthday? I think it would be like hanging out with friends in the morning. I'm a really good, I like gifts. I like opening things that are, for me, I'm really bad at reacting to gifts. Yeah. But I like getting things that are for me, even though I am really excited, I'll just be like. Thanks, but. I like getting gifts. I think it would be surrounding myself with people I like and getting things and eating cake and singing. Happy birthday to me. So you said you'd wanna see friends, I assume. We then come in later in the day. I say people I love. Okay. Okay. Just making sure we play around. And the dog would also get a present. Wesley's my birthday mascot. It's pin the tail on the puppy and see so much spirit. So yeah. We'll, um, we'll work on that. Sure. Lots of presents. We get it. Okay. So we wanted to do this episode, not just because we love Maggie, which we do, but because every milestone is a chance to pause. To celebrate the good and the bad, to say, look how far we've come. And 16 isn't just caking candles, it's growth identity. It's kind of the first year you start to feel like a real teenager. And for any parents or teens listening, don't wait for birthdays to tell each other what you're proud of. Share it now. Celebrate the person now. I'm so proud of you, Maggie. Yay. Yeah. We're so proud of who you're becoming. Not because you're perfect, unlike me, but because you're thoughtful, strong, smart, hilarious, and very much you, and it's all about you, girl. On your 16th birthday, what is that song for SpongeBob? Oh, okay. Thank you. I'm glad to be Me too. Well happy birthday Maggie. We all love you very, very much. Yes. And for everyone here, follow us on Instagram. Wish Maggie a happy birthday. And tell us what's your favorite memory of your 16-year-old or your own 16th year? See you next time. And don't forget to celebrate the people you love loudly and often, and with yummy chocolate cake and presents.