Christmas Vacation From Hell: Will Compton's Entire Family Gets Sick In NYC | FTD

Summary

Bussin' With The Boys — "Christmas Vacation From Hell: Will Compton's Entire Family Gets Sick In NYC | FTD"

Release Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Will Compton & Sherm
Guest appearances: Chef
Episode Runtime: ~1 hr 15 min

---

EPISODE OVERVIEW

The latest "For The Dads" holiday edition captures the real, messy, and hilarious reality of parenting and family life during the Christmas season. With host Will Compton’s household struck by illness after an ambitious family trip to New York City, this episode is as much about embracing chaos as it is about creating lasting memories. The Boys keep it authentic, unpacking everything from logistical disasters and sick kids to the little wins, memorable gifts, and finding joy amidst holiday stress.

---

MAIN THEMES & PURPOSE

• Embracing Chaos: Honest reflections on navigating fatherhood and family tradition when plans go sideways—especially during the holidays.
• Making Memories: Even in adversity (“vacation from hell”), lasting family memories are forged—or at least great stories.
• Community: Building a space for dads and families to support each other, laugh at shared struggles, and offer solid hacks (and commiserations).
• Choosing Joy Over Stress: The importance of perspective, gratitude, and humor—especially during life’s busiest, messiest moments.

---

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS & KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

1. Operation Christmas Chaos: A Family Christmastime Catastrophe

Timestamps: [02:00]–[07:40]

• Will is podcasting from home, sick kids (Ruby and Scotty) and wife down with fevers after a return from Christmas in NYC.
• The household is locked down, with Ms. Rachel on TV to pacify the kids and minimal childcare available. Even the nanny can’t help—she’s eight months pregnant and can’t risk illness.
• Will decides not to attend Taylor Lewan’s annual Christmas party, highlighting the “dad quarantine” measures that wreck logistics but keep the community safe.

Quote:

“Operation Christmas Chaos is upon us. This New York air has taken down my entire family...I’m sitting in the barracks right now.”
—Will Compton [02:00]

---

2. To Record or Not to Record? The Pressure of the Christmas Episode

[03:51]–[06:41]

• Dilemma between taking a needed break or delivering the expected Christmas episode, knowing the “sickos” (fan community) want it.
• Community-driven motivation to press on; decision to record via Zoom.

Quote:

“The community is why we do this thing...if the sickos want the Christmas episode, the sickos gotta have the Christmas episode.”
—Sherm [05:34]

---

3. Christmas in New York: Storytime & Disaster Breakdown

[12:50]–[32:08]

• Planning Headaches: Juggling football obligations, ESPN gigs, and Compton family expectations for a “magical” NYC Christmas trip.
• Travel Woes:
  • Delays, missing crib on arrival, hour-late bedtime, and a double stroller that barely fits doors.
  • Navigation through busy streets, packed restaurants, standing in the rain for the toy store, and working in hotel hallways.
• Parenting in Public:
  • Negotiating toddler meltdowns (wrong fruit sticks, sandwich refusals), and the humbling art of “choosing joy over stress.”
  • Moments of reflection during family activities: ice skating at Central Park, seeing the Rockettes, riding a horse carriage.

Memorable Quotes:

“The highs were highs. The low moments were low moments. Every parent, every family knows...those [low] moments you’re just sitting there, like ‘We could just be home right now but...we gotta be out here making memories. Just push through.’”
—Will Compton [15:28]

“She’s having a panic attack, losing her mind. Let me go back and get only strawberries and grapes. That is...I get so happy thinking about it, because I just want more adversity.”
—Will Compton [23:46]

• Dad Perspective: Will prefers staying in, but appreciates his wife’s wanderlust (“My wife wants to do Christmas in New York...I could not leave my house and be completely happy...but we are in the memory-making game.”)

---

4. Work-Life Chaos: Trying to Be Present

[26:54]–[29:13]

• Will is bombarded with work emergencies during family time (“Why is your urgency our emergency?”), taking calls in hotel hallways while his wife and daughter watch Christmas movies.
• Sherm and Will commiserate over the eternal holiday struggle to balance work, family, and well-being.

---

5. Highs, Lows, & Deep Reflections

[31:13]–[45:00]

• Special Moments:
  • Ice skating like in “Home Alone 2,” seeing the Rockefeller tree, spending time at FAO Schwarz, and riding the Central Park carriage.
  • Will reflects on the anniversary of his mother’s passing (Dec 19), drawing a poignant connection to Kevin McAllister’s wish in “Home Alone 2.”
• Quote:

“As I’m watching that, I’m just like, sometimes there are coincidences, sometimes there are none. And that’s one where I’m having a moment of perspective...”
—Will Compton [44:19]

---

6. Dad/Mom & Gift Exchange Banter

[47:11]–[66:51]

• The boys exchange Christmas gifts, share “dad hacks” for thoughtful—even if belated—gifting.
• Highlights include Will’s mobile car detailer gift to the crew, thoughtful book gifts, and practical presents for the kids (“Scotty got her own water bowl!”).
• Community Christmas cards are opened and celebrated.

---

7. Dadding Hacks, Community Comments & Voice Mails

[69:09]–[94:01]

• Tons of shoutouts and advice from listeners (PT6ers/Milk Team 6ers), including sleep training routines, letting kids self-soothe, and the etiquette of reciprocal gift-giving.
• Sherm shares his “sleep mojo,” Will offers hacks for transitioning babies from arms to crib.
• Call-in from Mike from Cleveland:

“Mom wrote the playbook, I’m just the quarterback that’s executing.”
—Mike from Cleveland [91:18]
(about nailing baby outfit selection by copying mom’s previous combos from photos)

---

8. Listener Emails: Relatability, Support, and Hard Truths

[94:07]–[101:52]

• Uplifting, relatable listener stories about family chaos, modern “new math” woes, choosing joy in the trenches, and marriage-teamwork.
• Emotional email from Anissa—a woman who listens with her husband (not a dad due to infertility), commending the podcast’s open handling of sensitive family subjects.
• Both hosts affirm the value of choosing gratitude, loving family (however constructed), and supporting each other through shared hardship.

---

9. Wrapping Up: Dad Wisdom, Final Reflections & Christmas Magic

[101:54]–[109:45]

• Will’s closing advice:

“Choose joy over stress...These are the moments you want. These are the moments you’ve looked for.”
—Will Compton [101:54]

• Sherm adds, the best Christmas memories are about fun family adventures and doing things together—not the gifts themselves.
• The crew reminisces about childhood Christmas magic, gifting tricks, and classic dad hacks (like saving the “big gift” for a surprise reveal after main present-opening).

---

MEMORABLE MOMENTS & QUOTES

• “Operation Christmas Chaos is upon us. This New York air has taken down my entire family...I’m sitting in the barracks right now.” [02:00]
• “The community is why we do this...if the sickos want the Christmas episode, the sickos gotta have the Christmas episode.” —Sherm [05:34]
• “There’s nothing like seeing your girl smile...I’ll get over this low back pain, I’ll get over all these things going on inside of my head.” —Will Compton [40:49]
• “She’s miss independent. She wants to do everything. Sometimes I gotta stop her...this is gonna be a disaster.” —Will Compton [89:34]
• “Choose joy over stress.” —Will Compton [101:54]

---

TIMESTAMPS OF NOTE

• 02:00: Will introduces "Operation Christmas Chaos" (family sick, home recording)
• 15:08: Will recounts trip planning and juggling family vs. career
• 23:46: The Fruit Stick Meltdown—kids’ holiday tantrums
• 29:13: Hallway work calls & balancing family/work
• 44:19: Emotional “Home Alone 2” moment/personal loss reflection
• 48:00: Listener Christmas cards and gift exchanges
• 69:09: Listener advice and hacks: comments & voicemails
• 94:07: Heartfelt listener stories and fan emails (including infertility)
• 101:54: Will’s closing mantra: “Choose joy over stress.”

---

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE & TONE

The tone is raw, irreverent, and warmly supportive. The hosts banter with classic dad sarcasm, lean into the suck (“good!”), riff on the realities of modern family life, and frequently drop wisdom for the “sickos” in the community. The language preserves both the humor and humility the pod is known for.

---

CONCLUSION

This episode encapsulates what makes “For The Dads” special: real talk, real mess, and real community. Whether it’s work emergencies during a family trip, public toddler meltdowns in NYC, or fighting through a house full of flu and chaos just to open gifts, Will, Sherm, and the crew model resilience and authenticity. It’s an ode to making the best of life’s “vacations from hell”—and finding joy in the middle of them.

---

For more, join the community conversation on:

• YouTube & Spotify comments (and maybe get your story or hack read on air!)
• Voicemails: 61 THE DADS
• Emails: 601thedadsgmail.com

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Bussin’ With The Boys!

Transcript

[Jenna Kim Jones]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Sherm]

Guaranteed Human.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Will Compton]

All.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rockin and the crowd lit. Chance, echo drum beatin. Everybody showing that school pride. Game like this.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

It calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives to change how you do business. Let's create smarter business. IBM.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Did you know that parents rank teaching.

[Sherm]

Financial literacy as the toughest life skill? That's where greenlight comes in. The debit card and money app made for families. With greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores automate allowance and track spending with real time notifications.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Kids learn how to earn, save and spend responsibly while parents have peace of.

[Sherm]

Mind knowing smart money habits are being built with guardrails in place. Try greenlight risk free [e-mail] iheart that's greenlight.com iheart hey PT6ers, this is Willie One Shelf.

[Will Compton]

You're about to listen to an automated ad read after this call to action. If you're on the bussin with the boys audio channel. If you want to listen to for the dads automated ad free, be sure to head over to the for the dads channel and wherever you listen to us on audio. Enjoy this episode of for the Dads. Papa Team six. Welcome to another episode of for the Dads. Merry Christmas Eve. Don't forget to leave the cookies out. Choose joy over stress. If there is one thing you want to take away from this episode because you you see, we're leaving one shelf right now. I'm zooming in. I'm from my house. Operation Christmas chaos is upon us. This New York air has taken down my entire family. I'm sitting in the barracks right now. We got Ms. Rachel going on outside to kind of keep the kids a little busy while mama while mom sick mom tries to Keep them. Cor. I'm like, sweetheart, I just ate. We're keeping this one, by the way. We are keeping this one under an hour today. Gentlemen, this is a challenge. Operation Christmas Chaos. Operation Keep it under an hour. We're fired up for you to join us. If you're listening on audio, make sure you're following all of our channels. Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon. If you're watching us right now on YouTube, make sure you are subscribed on YouTube. Leave comments throughout the episode. The community is what makes this thing great. And by the way, speaking of Spotify boys, I have a. Hey, Spotify comments are off the charts.

[Sherm]

Yeah, Spotify comments are going nuts.

[Will Compton]

So relatively speaking compared to like how this kind of small operation started, you get single digit comments, maybe hit 10 every now and then. But now that we have the video out there on Spotify, I'm seeing like over 50 comments.

[Sherm]

It is, it's from being in the industry, like the podcast industry. It is very interesting to see how many sickos are like thank God y' all finally have video on Spotify. I, I was unaware. I was unaware.

[Will Compton]

I'm kind of sitting back scrolling last night like seeing like comments and everything else after I posted the, the dad con, the code red, everything going on at the house and I'm sitting there looking at you or I'm sitting there looking at Spotify. And by the way, if you guys are listening on Spotify now or Spotify right now, make sure you're following the for the dads channel on Spotify because that one is automated ad free. But I'm sitting here going through and I see this comment from KJ for the dad's PT6 sicko or 6 echo as the real ones like to refer to it as. He's like really, really, really love the Spotify video, boys. I've been trying to limit my screen time lately and deleted YouTube because it was controlling me constantly and taking my attention away from my son and wife. Expecting baby number two in May. Congratulations on that, kj. Now I can watch the pod and have no temptation to start doom scrolling YouTube shorts. You guys are the best. Love you boys. KJ for the dads PT Sicko.

[Sherm]

KJ's got a play in my 2026 playbook.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, but I was, I was elated. But all to say the community is why we do this thing. The community is while is why we're showing up. Because I was hitting the boys up, I was like, hey fellas, there's really no full obligation. Like we don't have to do an episode this week. How's everybody feeling? I don't feel like I should come in. Like I'm not sick. I don't feel sick. I feel great. But I don't really know the proper etiquette for everybody else. Like, I know guys in the shop. They have famil. I'm like a carrier, I guess, so to speak. I don't want to come in the week of Christmas. If it was any other week, I'll be in there. But the week of Christmas, if I, if somebody were to get taken down right before they start their travel plans, I would feel like hell because I know it was coming from me bringing it in the shop. So there's a part of us we were kind of doubtful with doing the episode this week.

[Sherm]

It was we, there was some back and forth via our group text and Will and I had some phone calls. As far as how do we go about this? Because we, we knew the sickos, it's Christmas time. It's the holidays. And maybe viewership across the board around the holidays for any type of media other than movies with your family is probably going down a little bit as far as digital media goes.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

But we know that the, the, if the sickos want the Christmas episode, the sickos got to have the Christmas episode. That was the message from I feel like everybody on the team from the.

[Will Compton]

Get in this, this moment, specifically this episode screams authenticity. This is fatherhood right here. Like we, we were. We usually record whether last couple weeks has been like Sunday night just because how jam packed the schedule's been. But usually we kind of identify like a nighttime if we can't do Friday during the day. And again, I was out last week because we were doing Christmas in New York, which I can't wait talk about Christmas in New York.

[Sherm]

I, I think we need to start the show with Christmas.

[Will Compton]

We will. And also any for for parents out there. I, I, I'm not imagining you kid. Your kids sit there and watch with you. But we get into Santa talk. So just beware that there will be some Santa talk. Good call on this episode. But again we were looking to do Sunday night. I call up Sherm or I caught the boy or hit up the boys and talk about how Rue's been sick. She run on like a 103, 104 fever. If he gets to 105 plus, that's when it's kind of like an emergency. Yeah. And she was running a 103104 and wasn't getting better on Sunday So I kind of hit the boys up like, hey, can we push to Monday? Because it's kind of chaotic at the house right now. So we were pushing a Monday. Monday rolls around, I'm in the shop, get home, bam, Scotty's down. Then mom goes down. So it's just your boy left standing. I'm like, hey, fellas, our nanny, she's eight months pregnant, so she doesn't want to get sick. In laws or in laws are unavailable. They're. They're working or whatever. Whatever'. We don't have in laws. We. We just don't have child care.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Since everybody was down, I'm like, hey, I kind of can't. I'm not able to come in. Like, can we do it Tuesday morning? And then I hit up Taylor about. Because he's got a Christmas party. As you're listening right now, Taylor Lawan, he had a. They have like a family little Christmas party where they have a lot of us, like close friends. We go over. We kind of do it every year to where we do white elephant. We do all the things. Gingerbread house. And so I kind of tell him. I'm like, hey, the other three, they're down right now. If anybody comes and shows face tomorrow, it'd be me. But right now, I'm still up in the air if. If I'm even gonna come by and do that. And then I was like, also, let me know if you feel uncomfortable with me coming, because again, I feel totally fine. Yada, yada, yada.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

He's like, we gotta. We gotta ask you. We gotta get you. You're no longer on the guest list. And I'm like, oh, no, it's just business. So I get action. The Christmas party. I'm sitting there at night thinking, like, okay, so should I go in and do the locker room tomorrow? Like, again, I don't want to get anybody sick right before we leave for Christmas. So I was out of the locker room on bus with the boys. Our YouTube channel where we have a locker room in the NFL show was not part of that. And so we're kind of scrambling on for the dads. And then we kind of came like, hey, Sherm was like, if I come and drop off all the presents, because we got gifts here, we got Christmas cards that fans sent in.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Dropped them off of my. At my house. He ran a solo mission. Dropped him at my front door. Hey, package delivered. You have all this stuff. We have our comments. We have everything that we usually do on for the dads. You Know we gotta do is set it up via zoom well and shout out.

[Sherm]

The other fold to it is shout out Derek for doing the show prep on Friday of last week or else this would have been a disaster because then we were able to give you the show note prep as far as that because Derek is out of town.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. There.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Deek's out of town.

[Sherm]

The Funko.

[Will Compton]

He went out back out to Pittsburgh. Yes. So, yeah. She always close to not. Not going down. But I'm glad we got to make it work. If at any moment I have to pause and dip and help with something again, we're in the. This is.

[Sherm]

We are in it we.

[Will Compton]

Because in it.

[Sherm]

We are in it with you. And I feel. I feel terrible because I brought some cookies up to the office and I was like, oh man, I didn't even take cookies over to Willie C's house. So I might have to go drop off some cookies at Yalls place. I don't know if that's what sick people want, but I mean, I'll eat.

[Will Compton]

Cookies so like I can go without cookies. Like think about the car detail. I got everybody in the shop and then I think, damn sure I'm going to just drive over, hand me a couple cookies.

[Sherm]

No, won't.

[Will Compton]

I won't hold that against you whatsoever.

[Sherm]

Then. Then it's settled. The cookies will be. Will be delivered. Which by the way, thank you for the det. The car detailing. I was dead and sick, actually when my car got detailed. The guy came to my house. Did you know that?

[Will Compton]

Oh, did he really?

[Sherm]

Yes, because I was sick. Home and germ talked to the car detailer. For everybody listening, Will, as a Christmas present, got everybody a car detail and they. It's one of those ones where they come to you. And yeah, I was sick and out last week on Friday and that was when my car was scheduled to get its detail. And the guy came to our fricking house and did it. Dude, it's a legend.

[Will Compton]

You bring up being sick, it's like there's something. There's always something going around. But the fact that we're experiencing right now, like I have my boy Nick. How it you mentioned him having kid number three last week? Hits me up and talks about, hey, I'm with you. It sounds like you're in hell right now. We've been unlucky each year having sick kiddos on Christmas time. So my heart goes out to the families that have sick kids. And chaos is happening during Christmas time. This is the first kind of year Scotty being One and Ruby. And three to where distress is at an all time. We got family coming in. My dad's texting me, like, hey, is it as bad as you're making it seem on social media? I don't want to be on my ass. Yada, yada yada, everybody, right now, currently, as we sit here, Scotty is the only one with a fever right now. She's still rocking like a 102, 103. Charles. Fevers went down for the moment. Ruth woke up. She had a great night of sleep, so she's feeling better. Oh, good. So we just got to keep stacking. We got to keep stacking W's, man. Yeah, you got to keep stacking. W's, the.

[Sherm]

It's funny that you bring up your dad. My dad did the exact same thing because your social media stuff and he knew that I was sick too. He's coming up for Christmas.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

What exactly are we talking about? You know, like, I'm coming up. I'm coming. I don't want you to think I'm not coming, but, like, what, you know, is Jill sick right now? Like, is Scarlett sick? What's going on?

[Will Compton]

Like, you were sick a few days last week. No wheels on the Internet, yelling at his phone, talking about how he's at war with New York City in New York. Hey, Christmas in New York, boys. You want to hear about Christmas in New York?

[Sherm]

Would love to.

[Chef]

Yes.

[Will Compton]

So I alluded. I talked about it a little bit on busting with the boys, but we are like, all the things we do. We got the four, the dead spot, all the bus and stuff. Like, my life is a lot of football, a lot of football. Mixing all the family stuff, like, as we go throughout the year. But as you guys know, during football season right now, like, we are in peak football season, college football playoffs going on over the weekend. You got December football in the NFL happening, where things are unfolding. Like, I got to do the TV thing on espn. Like, you're always wanting to have some substance, like as you talk about games. But I feel like as we've gotten later in the year, as we're in Christmas season in December, it kind of like, my attention kind of gets pulled everywhere to where I always feel like I'm behind the eight ball. But my wife and God love her, I love her dearly. Wife wants to do Christmas in New York. Wife wants to do Christmas in New York.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

I do my best to make everybody happy. Like the bus with the boys, they wanted to go to the college football playoff for a M. Miami, Oklahoma, Alabama. Wife wants to do Christmas in New York. We got to find a weekend to do Christmas in New York. So I gotta finagle it around other things going on in my schedule. So we find a date to do Christmas in New York. It happened to be last week. Whenever we fly out to do ESPN in New York, hey, I'm gonna take the family with me. We're going to fly out Wednesday. We'll fly out earlier, we'll get there earlier and then we'll stay there all the way through, like the middle of the day Saturday. And we will do. We'll get, we'll get in a hotel in Central Park. Like, we'll do all the Christmas stuff that she has in her mind that she wants to do because I have no clue. Like, I've heard about Christmas in New York. Everybody swears you have to go do Christmas in New York. But as a middle America male who. I don't, I don't desire to travel everywhere. Like, that's one thing I love about my wife. She's adventurous. She's got me out of my shell. She's got me uncomfortable. Let's go do vacation. Let's go travel here. Let's go see this part of the world. Yeah, I do. In New York. I could sit in the hotel room the entire time and I could be completely happy. I could not leave my house and I could be completely happy. I'll get a little stir crazy. I'll go out and get a coffee or go out and do something. But your boy, I'm more of a, more of a homebody. But why people should do Christmas in New York. Let's take the family, let's make memories. It sounds like a great idea because we are in the memory making game with young kiddos. Like, you have to think beyond yourself and think like, these are the times where you want to make memories and build a foundation and do all these things that we talk about fatherhood.

[Sherm]

And you're in the business of keeping wife happy and kids happy.

[Will Compton]

Wife happy, kids happy, all of it. Then there's the business going on with busting with the boys. Got to look the boys in the face, hey, fellas, I'm not going to be going to the College Football Playoff. Wife wants to go to New York for Christmas. Listen, I'm telling you right now, I got to do Christmas in New York. Got to make this happen.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

So here's where the, the, the operation. Good. Here's where all the stuff. I'll just, I'll just fly New York was a blast. The highs were highs. The low moments were low moments. Every parent, every family knows that when you're having those low moments with your young ones in a hotel room or in a store or at a restaurant or in the airport, wherever it might be like those moments, you're kind of just sitting there. Like, we could just be home right now, but we got to be out here. We got to be out here doing the hotel thing. We got to be out here doing the vacation thing. Just push through it. But here's where the good mentality comes in. So I have here, let's think here. Let's start from the top. So wife wants to do Christmas in the middle of primetime football when I have a gig that demands me to watch football. Awesome. Let's do it. Good. We land in New York. We want to go out early, but let's land in New York. Only to land in New York. Drop the boys off at their hotel. We're six miles away from our hotel, so we got to sit in traffic for another 90 minutes.

[Sherm]

Good, good.

[Will Compton]

Guess what, Sherm? Crib wasn't in the room when we got there.

[Sherm]

Oh, that's perfect.

[Will Compton]

Perfect. Have to wait another 45 minutes till we get the crib in the room. It's already an hour past bedtime. Good, good.

[Sherm]

You just get some. You get some extra face time with the bellhop when they come.

[Will Compton]

I can't wait. Can't wait. Jurassic park, the animated version. Like, let's try to figure dinner. Let's do all these things until we get the crib in the bedroom because Scotty is over. She's over tired now. Yeah, we brought the double stroller. We brought our double stroller. I think it's a great move. But the double stroller barely fits through the door.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Will Compton]

All.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance, echo drum beat. Everybody showing that school pride game like this. Yeah. It calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, Chris. And refresher. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere, and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that hood VCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there, and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there, and everywhere. Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business, let's create Smile to Business IBM.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[Sherm]

Let me start by saying it's a great day to be a gray shirt team Rubicon. You know, it truly is a team. Those folks, myself included, all had one desire, which is helping folks in disaster. Trying to be a little bit of hope in a really, really bad situation.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.

[Sherm]

We give just that nugget of hope helping other people. For some of our gray shirts, it's during a time when they need help.

[Will Compton]

And by helping others, it helps them.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Will Compton]

As we walk all over New York.

[Sherm]

That's because the entire city was built in 1700s. 1800s. Good, good.

[Will Compton]

I love. I've been jamming it, jamming it, jamming it. And then, like, let me move it sideways. All right, I got it. Nobody touch me. Don't hold the door. I got the door.

[Sherm]

Oh.

[Will Compton]

Then you get to the nighttime. You know, one of the nights we were there, Char wanted to take Rude to see the Rockettes. Rue is fired up about the Rockettes. I hear the Rockettes is an unbelievable show. So I tell my wife, hey, you take Rude, do a mommy daughter thing. I'll stay back with Scotty and let Scotty get a nap. Because again, when you're traveling, you're not moving. You got to kind of find times to do nap. Like they never go according to structure. Routine, like nap where you can.

[Sherm]

Of course.

[Will Compton]

So my wife takes root of the Rockettes. Dad was supposed to be at a restaurant with the table ready when they got out.

[Sherm]

Oh, Will, why didn't you do that?

[Will Compton]

Dad forgets he's in New York, and most places are so packed. So we have to wait another amount of time when we're already getting past bedtime. My wife is staring through me while we have to wait. And I'm just thinking, good, good. You're a shitty father, Will. You are A shitty father. Hey, that is on me. I messed that up, and I knew I messed it up. She kind of alluded to, hey, when we get done, we can go find a spot to go do dinner. And then like, an hour before or like, around the time they left, she's like, if you want to, you could go to a restaurant before and then get a table, and then we can meet you there. So that right there, man, we talked about it a week or two ago. That type of. Like, they're alluding to something. They're not saying, hey, do this. They're saying, hey, if you want to. So then once I read if you want to, I'm thinking, okay, all this is in my. Oh, this is in my control. Like, this is my decision if I want to wait or not. I'm thinking, okay, I want to get a little extra time, kick the feet up, lay on the bed while Scotty takes a nap. But what your wife wants you to do in those situations is not say, think, hey, if you want to. And you think, I don't want to. So let's not do this then. You can't think that way.

[Sherm]

Cannot.

[Will Compton]

When they say, if you want to, they're saying, hey, do this.

[Sherm]

Hey.

[Chef]

This is.

[Will Compton]

This is how you. This is how you over deliver.

[Sherm]

They're saying, hey, I want you to know that everything in your body wants to do this and should convey that everything in your body wants to go get that resi and wants to go hold that table down. Why the. While the waitress is going, now, where's. Where's the other two to your party? You don't have a full seat. I'm gonna have to give this reservation up. They're on their way from the Rockettes, and you're fighting with the waitress, and.

[Will Compton]

She'S like, hey, where you at? I'm like, oh, we're on the. It might have been, like, Fifth street or something. I'm like, look, yeah, we might run into you as we're walking, trying to find a place to eat. I run into it, and she's like, so we do. We don't have anywhere to go. And I'm like, everything's everywhere is pretty packed right now. She's like, well, that's kind of why I texted you.

[Sherm]

Which borough were y' all in?

[Will Compton]

Which what?

[Sherm]

Which borough were y' all in? Were you on the Bronx or in.

[Will Compton]

I don't even know what that means.

[Sherm]

Okay, we were in.

[Will Compton]

We were by Central Park.

[Sherm]

Oh, okay.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, we were in Central Park. So we were kind of around like those streets where you can kind of. Those are a lot of walkable spots, like Rockefeller. The spot where they do. Where the rock has performed formed is Radio City. So where the draft will be some years.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

So we're around that area. And again, good vibes during the daytime. It's like we were enjoying the holiday village in Village park, where. That's where I put out the tweet on, like, you know, I was saying that the. Look, they sell my ornament here from the pick six. That happened against Georgia.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

And. But they have this cool little village in. Or a holiday village where they got all these little shops where you can buy ornaments and they got these little eatery spots, like everything right there on the street. I want street food. In New York, we wanted to get a bite to eat. We get sandwiches. But guess what? Rue didn't want a sandwich. She wanted this fruit stick that she saw somebody else eating, like, 10ft away. So I go get the fruit stick, and guess what, Sherm. It's not the exact fruit stick that she wanted. She wanted strawberries and grapes. Not strawberries, grapes, blueberries and oranges. She wanted just strawberries and grapes and not the green one. She wants the purple grapes. And she's having a panic attack. It felt like losing her mind. Let me go back and get the strawberries and grapes. That is. Oh, I get so happy thinking about it, because I just want more. I want more adversity.

[Sherm]

Yeah. What a great call from your daughter and how. And just say, how dare you to will for even thinking otherwise. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Like, sweetheart, we got this sandwich. It's got salami on it where I'm referring to as pepperonis. He's got pepperononis on the sandwich. Like, you got to eat some quality food. And she's like pointing at this. This chick eating a. Like a fruit stick or whatever. I'm like, let's just. I gotta walk around and figure out where this fruit stick is. Bring it back. Got you one. All the different fruits of variety. I want strawberries and grapes. Strawberries and grapes are right there on the stick. I want just strawberries and grapes. I don't want the. The green grape. I want the purple grape. And I'm like, oh, God. Good, good. A little nippy, a little cold. So we take care of that. But again, hey, great time. Great Christmas in New York. Right there by Central Park. We're having moments. We're snapping photos. We're taking pictures. It's a. The next day, we go to. Everybody says to go to The FAO Foa. FAO Store.

[Sherm]

Yeah, Schwartz.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, FAO Schwartz Toy store. Which, by the way, it's a banger. But we get there, it's raining outside, so we get the umbrellas going. I'm kind of standing in it thinking, like, you know, here's Jocko Willie. Like, good, we want rain. Good, drink the rain. We get there at the FAO store and we're kind of going up to the door, we see a little line. We're like, oh, snap. We kind of start walking back the line. Then I'm like, like, we like, pause. We, like, look down the road, dude, this line is all the way down the street. And so I'm doing one of those things where I'm pushing the stroll and I look at Charo.

[Sherm]

You love lines.

[Will Compton]

Love lines, dude. I love lines. Let me find the longest line in New York City and let me stand. And as I'm like putting a stroller, I'm trying to feel out Charo. And I'm thinking to myself, I'm thinking in my head, like, are we really walking to this, to the back of this long ass line? And we're just gonna wait to get in this toy store? Like, it looks like chaos in there. It looks like anarchy inside that store because it is Christmas time. Kids are going nuts. I got this double stroller where we're gonna put the stroller, like he said. I just look at Charlie. I'm like, hey, we gonna wait. We'll let you see how long it is. I'm looking down the road. I'm like, this is pretty long, dude. And then you do the thing where you both kind of walk and you're thinking one thing in your head, like, yo, are we gonna turn? Are we gonna abort mission? Like, let's figure out a pivot here. And we kind of mosey to the end of the line. We just stand there and I look and I'm like, so. Looks like we're standing in the line. Looks like we're waiting to get in this toy store. She's like, oh, we can just do it for a few minutes. See how long, how fast it goes. Line does move quicker, but it's still like, I'm timing it on my watch. Like, I just. Right there. I'm like, okay, I'm going to start this timer and I'm going to figure out how long it took to get to the. To the front of the store. 30 minute wait. 30 minute wait. In the rain. Good. Like I said, drink the rain.

[Sherm]

And it's. And it's a freezing rain too, which is really nice.

[Will Compton]

Dude.

[Sherm]

This time of year.

[Will Compton]

I love that. I started, I took off my jacket, I took off my hoodie. I was out there shirtless, just. Oh, God, I'm looking at all the dads like, yeah, let's see you do it like this, boy, right here. Let's see you take on this. A gap like Willie, one shelf.

[Sherm]

And I know that all the diaper changes out in public in New York City. I'm sure those bathrooms are very kind.

[Will Compton]

Oh, they're so spotless. They're so clean. There's nothing to worry about when you go in those public restrooms in New York City and there's a billion people. And another thing, I was talking to you about this last night, but work related stuff comes up while I'm on. While we're on this to where all of a sudden there was an emergency to get a decision made about a brand to like, do some work together in 2026. And I'm just thinking, are we not able to wait T. Why all of a sudden do we have is why all of a sudden has your urgency became our emergency to where we have to get you an answer. Like, dude, I'm in the middle of family vacation. Like doing Christmas in New York with the family. I get hit up at about like 8pm I think it was on Thursday. It was Thursday or Friday, 8:00pm it's like, hey, Will, sorry to bother you. We need answers about X, Y and Z. I'm thinking, what the. And Taylor, Charlotte. Like, hey, we'll get this to you by end of days. Will's out in New York right now. Like, our schedule was pretty jam packed last week. And guess I got a phone call and it was like, hey, we needed an answer tonight. And I'm kind of starting to get a little beside myself because I'm thinking, what in the hell is going on? And because we're at dinner at this moment, I'm trying not to look at my phone, but I'm checking my phone, I see these messages. Like, I put the phone back in my pocket because I don't want to respond because we're at dinner. We go back and again as we're doing dinner, you get kind of overtime with bedtime. So we get home or we get back to the hotel and we're trying to put the kids down and do bedtime, do the bedtime routine, everything else. So, yeah, I'm into doing that. And then all of a sudden, Rue in Charo, they want to watch a Christmas Movie in bed. So let's watch a Christmas movie in bed. Oh, wait. People involved with our busing team needs an urgent answer that night, and they can't wait until Monday because communication sucks. And now I have to sit out in the hallway for an hour trying to solve a problem while my wife and daughter watch a Christmas movie.

[Sherm]

That's ideal. How. How was that carpet in the hallway of the hotel? I bet that was comfy to sit on for an hour.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, I sat on that for about 30 minutes. I went to this little. You know, they got the little, like, day beds. I'm, like, laying completely horizontal on that on the phone with, like, three different people.

[Sherm]

That's perfect. Right there by the elevators is amazing.

[Will Compton]

Like, what a wonderful time of the year it is when you're in the Christmas spirit and you got to do work stuff and you're trying to do the family stuff, and you're just chaos. You're enjoying the moments. You're taking a lot of photos. Charl has this little camera she likes to bring, which is all time, by the way. Like, big time A plus move by her because we're capturing, like, all these moments. Like, Charlie, we went. They. They ice skated. Charlie and Rue ice skated while I was holding Scotty and kind of walking around with Scotty. And it was sick, dude. Like, I'll have to show you these pictures to where it's the ice skating, like, Home Alone. All a lot of spots in Home Alone 2 we were at because it was around Central Park. So the ice skating that happens in Central park, the backdrop is incredible. We went and saw the Rockefeller Christmas tree again. We were at the toy store, seeing Ru light up at the toy store, having to negotiate with her that, hey, we can talk to Santa about the possibility of this toy. Like, you can't get this toy right now. Ended up walking out of the toy store with some magic markers, because the guy was just wowing everybody with these magic markers. It was fun, though. Again, the highs were highs. And all those good moments that I alluded to, you can just. Every parent knows those. Those moments where you get back from a trip and you're trying to tell your boy, you're trying to tell everybody, like, hey, it was fun. And they kind of see the. The chaos that ensued in your eyes because there was chaos. But then again, when you pull yourself out of it, you're just like, yo, you. You. You're literally trying to build some of these memories and foundations now. Because one time I'm sitting there, we were at Breakfast, just Scotty or I can't remember. Somebody was causing chaos and we're both kind of a little drained at this point. Intro just mentions like, hey, Christmas time. Like, this is the chaos we want. This is the chaos that we have to embrace and look forward to because this is basically what it's going to be like forever. Especially when you're trying to make memories and do all these things and doing things out of your ordinary routine where chaos kind of hits the fan. But it was good, dude. Again, up and down, up and down.

[Chef]

You know, Will, if it makes you feel any better, my dad just sent a picture to me, my brother, like two weeks ago, of like a seven years ago or eight years ago. It was me, my dad and brother in New York City and something like that. And he's like, hey, I always remember this trip. So, you know, for all the chaos that ensues, hopefully that's the end goal, right?

[Will Compton]

That. That's what, dude, 100. Like again, watching Rue and Charo do the ice skating. We're riding on the carriage. We' you know, a horse is taking us around Central Park. Rue's having a blast. We're having fun. We're taking selfies. We're doing all things like, this is going to be an insanely memorable trip. Who knows if I ever go back because of what this place did to my family. The moment we got back, we got back Saturday, and Rue got hit with the fever Saturday night. And then, as you know, I'm sitting here podcasting right now, barricaded in this back office, while everybody else sits out there in the little. In the little sick zone.

[Sherm]

That's crazy that she contracted that so quickly coming back to Nashville. There's no way. I don't think she would get that in New York. That's the part that doesn't make sense for me. The. The second thing that I'll say in regards to last week, I really did. I loved the thing that you read off of Instagram of, you know, we're. We're 80 years old now, and my husband grabs my wrinkled hand and says, honey, what do you want for Christmas this year? And Will just saying, oh, I don't know, another one last trip to New York City. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Would love another moment for code red, dad Con 5. Go to New York, come back sick for the next few days. Right. On the week of Christmas. Because you're right. That is the perspective. Like that. Like you're laugh.

[Sherm]

Because we both know we can't have that.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

But New York, dude, to Pile on and be a good co host and join you in your love for New York City. I love New York City just as much as you and arguably, maybe more. I actually, when I was there for the two weeks I lived and worked there right out of college, I paid on the set of the Netflix movie the Irishman and that was being shot during Christmas. I was there. Yes. And so I got to experience all the lovely, lovely parts of New York City during Christmas while working, which that was phenomenal. And Will, I gotta tell you, my. I think my favorite part of New York city is at 3 o' clock or 4 o' clock in the morning, you're coming, coming home from a night shoot and that steamer starts coming down, cleaning the streets and you just get to see all the lovely magic of New York City just rise off those streets. You get to smell it, you get to inhale it. And that's the kind of stuff that would honestly, I wish you had had roo out and about at 3 or 4 o' clock in the morning so she could have inhaled that. I think it would have helped prevent what she caught because that's the stuff that makes a kid. That'll put some hair on your chest.

[Will Compton]

That type of street dirt will put some hair on your chest.

[Sherm]

And I joke. I. New York does have its, it does have its wonderful. It 100 Christmas in New York was really, really, really cool.

[Will Compton]

But again, just like the typ. The type of like guy I am. Like, I would outside if my, if it wasn't my wife's idea. Like, I personally would never be looking to go do Christmas in New York. I would never be personally going to seek out trips in New York because I'm just not being around a bunch of people is just not my vibe.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

You know what I mean? I'm just like, you just, you're walking around, you're kind of bumping into people. You're trying to avoid a lot. There's just so many people and you want to go in. It's like when I go into, to stores or shops or whatever it is. Like I love to kind of have space and think about what I might get if I ever do go shopping.

[Sherm]

Oh yeah.

[Will Compton]

I'm like in my mind taking so much time internally. I hate thinking about store workers looking at me coming up and asking, hey, do you need any help? I'm like, I just, I don't, I don't want any. Like, I'll come up to you if I'm looking for something and I need help. Like, I Just hate that potential social factor that goes on with all of these people around you at all times. Then you're in the aisle, and there's a bunch of people in the aisle. It's like, man, I'm kind of messing with. I kind of want to sit here and think or look at all these different. If we're in the toy shop, look at all these different toys. But then you feel people to your right, left. You're kind of like, all right, we gotta, like, swiftly move through this aisle. You know what I mean?

[Sherm]

Oh, a million percent. And unfortunately, when Jill got pregnant. This is actually a really sad story. When Jill got pregnant, my mom started. Kept on bringing up, you know, my dream. I just can't wait. Is to do this annual trip, girls trip to New York City. And with Yalls unborn daughter and you, Jill and myself, and we get to shop, and we get to go around and take pictures, and dad's not invited. I'm sitting there like, are you kidding me? Oh, I don't get to go on that. How messed up is that? I go, okay, okay. If that makes you all happy, y' all can go do your girls trip to New York.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, I will never hold this over your head. Go have fun. But I'm alone.

[Sherm]

When she was bringing up that she would be willing to check that box off, because Jill, very. Jill is very, very similar to Charo. It. It seems like with the adventure, with the exploring, the traveling.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, Charles all about it.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Like that. You know, all the times we go to Destin or travel to. We've been to Hawaii. Destiny in Canada. This past year in Banff, we were over in Italy. Like, that's all Charo, you know, getting us to go do different things as a family together. And you. You come back with so many great moments and memories. Hey, but you want to know the funny thing? So, Charles, since Rue was born, was always doing this annual New York trip. Like, she's always going to take root in New York. So she's done it. Rue's, what, three now? So this was our. This was the third time she went. But Charles, usually it was going to be like a girl girls thing. And this stays between us. Like, I know my wife listens to the podcast, but this is where she has to mute it and not listen or kind of fast forward.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

You better tune out, sweetheart. Year one and year two, she takes roof. So I'm. I'm at the house. It's sad, boy. You know, sad that they're in New York. I have to stay home. And this year, when they're like, hey, we need to do Christmas in New York, I'm thinking in my head, like, I thought it was always going to be a girls thing, dude, like, you can't get me out of my routine.

[Sherm]

So are you saying that now my mom's dream of doing an annual girl stretch. Dad might get the invite one year.

[Will Compton]

That'll come up. So I'm going to flip the script on how. How just when we have to stay home. But hold on to them doing annual traditions in New York just as girls, like, hold on to that as tight as you can. Hopefully you never have to let it go.

[Sherm]

I'm gonna get. I'm gonna get them custom matching outfits for when they travel. I mean, I'll put. I'll play in the whole damn thing. I'll get the itinerary. I'll be the travel agent, make sure.

[Will Compton]

Do you want to go with us this year? And you just kind of look at your watch.

[Sherm]

How?

[Will Compton]

I don't think I can do.

[Sherm]

I want to go with every fiber in my being. Can I. I don't think I can make it work.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, sweetheart. My mom said annual girls trip every year. I don't want you guys to break your code.

[Sherm]

She said no guys allowed. She specifically said that. And I can't.

[Will Compton]

I'm gonna do. If we do it again, if it happens again, which we might have a few year cushion now, now that we got sick, that's kind of more of a. Kind of More of a foundation to build on. Telling Charlie, like, I was sure we were like, last time, everybody, you all got taken down. But it. When. If and when we go again, you're you and the fam's coming with us. And then when the chaos is ensuing, I'm just gonna be in the corner looking at you like, yeah, That's. That's like a Christmas in New York needs to be a PT6 badge.

[Sherm]

Hey, New York. Hey.

[Will Compton]

I was saying that so many times when Charles. When I'm like, pushing Scotty and Charles, kind of like, I'm starting to figure out. I'm starting to realize, like, I messed this dinner reservation. I messed up this dinner setup.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Wait. Somewhere. Fortunately, we found this newer spot. It wasn't packed. I went and I talked to the lady. She got us seated. And, dude, right when we come in, man, a couple of dads or a couple of boys were talking about Papa Team.

[Sherm]

No.

[Will Compton]

In New York. Yeah, in New York. Yeah, bro. Getting love in New York for the desert A couple guys, they're. You know, you can tell they're busting fans, but then there'll be guys like, yo, I love what you do. It just. It felt like a. A dad exchange.

[Sherm]

Did. Did you all go to Dumbo again? The. Down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass, that area? They all went. And didn't you go there with Jara last time?

[Will Compton]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Sherm]

That. That was the one area that, when I was in New York, I was like, this is really freaking cool. It's like Cobble street or Cobblestone Street.

[Will Compton]

Like, don't get it twisted. Like, it is very cool.

[Sherm]

It's cool.

[Will Compton]

It's just if you're. If you're one of the dads and you feel like everything that I'm saying when I talk about New York or a lot of people and everything else, you're like, oh, that is me to a T. I'm telling you, those things aren't going to leave you when you're in New York, but you are going to go there, and you're going to appreciate everything you're seeing, and your fam's going to be happy. Like, there's nothing like seeing your girl smile and everything else I can think. I'll get over this low back pain. I'll get over all these things that's going on inside of my head. And another cool thing, too, bro, is we got back, and on Saturday night, I realized Rue was getting a fever when I went over to give her a kiss on the cheek. And I'm just like, yo, you feel pretty hot. But we were watching Home Alone 2, too. So we were kind of doing pizza Saturday and movie night, because we got back, and we're just beat. Like, Scotty was a demon on the flight home. A demon. This is Scotty on the flight home is where I got this. I got this scratch on my neck. She reaches up, she gets her claws in my neck. She gets her claws, like, in my nose, and it's, like, lifting my nose. I'm trying to rock her. Ruth's not sleeping on my lap, which was great. Charlie and I are both drained. We're trying to, like. Like, we're hoping Scotty just falls asleep because she hadn't napped yet. And if she falls asleep, like, yo, we're gonna get to take a little nap on this flight home, and it's gonna be lovely. We didn't get to fall asleep, really, at all. I dozed off a couple times when Charl had Scotty, but Scotty was just a. She was A menace on the ride home. And so we get home, and Charles parents, Lola and Opal are here. They were kind of watching the house. They spend dinner time and everything else with us. They watch the movie. So we're watching Home Alone 2, seeing all the spots in New York that we got to visit. We're like, oh, Ru, you ice skated there. Ru, we got to see this. Ru, we got to see that. There's the tree that you got to stand by. And I realized Ru has a fever. But in the part of the movie is when. What's the old boy's name?

[Sherm]

Kevin McAllister.

[Will Compton]

Kevin McAllister.

[Sherm]

Macaulay Culkin.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. So Kevin is. I think he's on the phone, or he's. Oh, he's standing by the Christmas tree. The Rockefeller Christmas tree, where we got to see.

[Sherm]

Yes.

[Will Compton]

And he's talking. He's basically talking to the tree or, like, you know, praying a lot, whatever it is, saying, like, if I could have anything, it would just be to see my mom and talk to her again for just. Even if it was, like, two minutes, even this. He's like. He's having the scene where he just wants to see his mom again. And so I'm having a moment of perspective, because four years ago is when my mom passed away, and it happened on December 19. So we were in New York during, you know, that time, like, when the 19th hit. A couple of my boys, hit me up. Families, you know, we're all kind of talking about Charles, you know, asking how I'm doing and everything else. Like, it's. It's kind of like another day. You sit there and you think about it. You remember. You remember all the emotions and the feelings you had when it happened. Because I was in a hotel when it did happen. We were about to play the Cleveland Browns the next day when I heard. When I found out and heard the news that my mom had suddenly passed. But that happened on the day of December 19th. So the full circle moment I'm happening with another appreciation of going out there to New York and seeing those things and seeing the Rockefeller tree is Kevin McAllister sitting there at the very end of the movie saying, if he could have one more thing, it would be just to, like, talk to his mom again. So as I'm watching that, I'm just, like, putting it all together, and I'm thinking, you know, sometimes there are coincidences, sometimes there are none. And that's one where I'm having, like, a moment of perspective on, like. Like, it felt that this Was not a coincidence that I'm watching this movie right now and seeing that scene of him talking about it and feeling those same things that he's saying.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

And we got to be in the presence of that tree. Like, we were out there in New York during that time.

[Sherm]

That is a really good full circle, especially with the way that you were probably feeling in New York to then be back home and to be able to be like, hey, you know, we're worth it. Family is worth it. Like, it truly is good. As much as we joke around of, like, I'm gonna find the biggest line in New York. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

That's what this show is for, man. We're gonna talk about the suck in the most sucky way.

[Sherm]

Oh, my gosh.

[Will Compton]

We're gonna do our best to grab ourselves, pull us out, zoom out, and have perspective on it. Because on the 19th, when we're walking around all these, you know, all the beautiful buildings in New York. Tall, you big, sleek, modern, all these little shops, everything else. And then in the middle of it, in the area we were is this massive St. Patrick's Cathedral. Like, I grew up Catholic. My mom was a Catholic school principal. In this massive church. Is just sitting there. Gorgeous, bro. And we're walking through and like, Charles, like, do you want to go in there and light a candle? And I was kind of just more in the. I don't want to run toward. I don't want to run toward the emotion today. You know what I mean? Yeah, no, no. We can just kind of keep moving. I'm kind of just sitting there appreciating how big this church is. I go. My mom would love this.

[Sherm]

I didn't. Also did not know and should have known about the 19th.

[Will Compton]

No, no, no, no, you're fine.

[Sherm]

No, no. But I. I do just want to say that did not know. And you weren't in my life on.

[Will Compton]

On that day that year.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Even if you were, it's not like I'm expecting you to remember that day.

[Sherm]

I know that. I know that. I. I just. I know how much that. That stuff means to you, but what a. What a cool place to be. What a beautiful place to be on that date. Yeah. It is kind of like a little dreamy winter wonderland. That. That was the other thing I was going to say of I was staying in an apartment. Shout out to George Kotsopoulos, by the way. He's the guy that hired me to work on the Irishman, and he put me up in his own apartment so I could go up there and work. But his apartment was in the Bronx, I believe. And. Yes, dude. And the Bronx. Every single inch of street in the Bronx is covered with garlands and lights. It's crazy.

[Will Compton]

Lights that are there is insane, dude.

[Sherm]

The most rundown, dumpy street you can think of in the Bronx. You go there during the month of December, there's gonna be snow and there's gonna be garlands, and there's gonna be ribbons and lights. I was like, this is just a winter wonderland. This is crazy.

[Will Compton]

There's nothing but constant Christmas music just playing in your head as you're walking around seeing everything.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah, I do. I. I selfishly, I want to bring up. I got some gifts for the boys. Some Christmas gifts you did drop off.

[Will Compton]

I see a lot of stuff, by the way, before we get to the gift, shout out all the fans. There's a bunch of Christmas cards.

[Sherm]

Yeah, you got a bunch of Christmas cards.

[Will Compton]

Bunch of Christmas cards.

[Sherm]

We'll try not to dox anybody.

[Will Compton]

No, like, it's like, I wish. It's like I want to shout out the families, but I don't know if they want me to shout them out. Maybe comfortable with me, like, saying their last name.

[Sherm]

Yeah, I. I feel like they would love that. As long as their address is on there. I feel like the.

[Chef]

And if they're not D.M. sherm. Not me.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Chef]

Sherman Young.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, I'll do a great job.

[Will Compton]

Family's got a fun little happy Grinchmas. We got the Russian family, the Rushing family. That's in. In a card. I'm looking at this. The. This Brow family. They sent in a Christmas card.

[Sherm]

I love this.

[Will Compton]

The stoves. Let's see here. Who else we got? The Lovett's sending a Christmas card.

[Sherm]

The love it. Hey, wait, can I ask a question on the Lovetts?

[Will Compton]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Sherm]

Can you show me the Lovett? I know a Lovett's. I just wanted to see if. Okay, never mind. They look like not the love it's I was thinking of, but I was like, that would be hilarious if they had said it. One.

[Will Compton]

Then another one here from the Silvas.

[Sherm]

I love that.

[Will Compton]

Dads for the PT Sickos for life. He has written on the back. I got more here to open as well. There's another person that sent in just digital shot us a Christmas card that Hayden Jameson. He gives a kind of a good story. The PT6ers and milk team Sixers out there grinding. Every day in the trench is good. I wanted to drop in like old Saint Nick on Christmas Eve and say what's up? And drop the Christmas card photo for all you guys, especially for Chef and Derek, since they didn't get a Christmas card from some people we might know. Won't mention any names. Haha. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Good riddance. Dylan, Ra. Also, stay away from Tennessee as well. Gbo. Gbr.

[Chef]

Thank you.

[Sherm]

Hey, what if. What if Raela ended up at Baylor? I just thought about that they were in the market for a qb. Oh, my God.

[Will Compton]

But, yeah, I see that there's a. There's a Christmas gift here with my name on it that you dropped off.

[Sherm]

Yeah. If we want to do bag from you.

[Will Compton]

Oh, Willie. One show that.

[Sherm]

That one's from me. The book is from Derek. And if we want to do Derek's first, we can do Derek's first. Okay, Will, while you I, I, I.

[Will Compton]

My Christmas Eve can't be opened. I got all the boys the mobile car details. And by the way, how sick is the detail? Chef Sherm, buddy, it's incredible.

[Sherm]

Incredible.

[Chef]

My car cleaned like that in my life. It is one of the best gifts I've ever gotten.

[Sherm]

Where did my phone go?

[Chef]

Christmas. Thank you so much.

[Will Compton]

It does feel like one of the best gifts ever too, because it's truly something you never. I feel like I never thought about doing, like, finding a mobile detailer. I'm thinking you got to go in all these spots. And on my birthday day, my wife got me the detail package that I got you guys. So I woke up on my birthday, and she gave me a card and something else. And then, you know, I step outside, and this dude's just going to work on my truck. And I'm like, yo, what's going on out there? She's like, I also, I got you a detail. And, dude, when I got in the truck after the detail, I was like, this is the sickest gift that I just would never think about getting. I'd never think about treating myself. So when Christmas has come around, I was like, yo, I'm gonna get the boys details, because it is. It's so badass. It makes you feel so good too.

[Sherm]

Well, and it. Not only is it a great gift for us, but Jill might be the biggest detail sicko of all time on getting her own car detailed. So just know that. That when she came rushing into my room when the detailer, you know, I'm dead in bed, and the detailers at her house, and she comes right in, she's like, they're. They're going to Detail your car. I was like, yeah. She was like, yes. Like, oh, dude.

[Will Compton]

Dude. For all the milk team sixers out there, like, sneaky a plus gift is getting a detailer over to the house to detail your husband, your hubbies, your PT6's truck or car, whatever it is. Like, it's. It is unbelievable.

[Sherm]

Will I have or chef? Go ahead. Yeah, please.

[Chef]

I want to put this in. First year of doing a proper. I buy gifts for people I love. I missed out on the for the dads crew, but I think think we'll all have something by next episode. And I know Sharon, we've already talked about it and Sher said you're fine. I don't feel fine about this. I'm so. I dropped the ball on this. Hey, we're gonna next episode.

[Will Compton]

You continue. Because there's, There's. It's such a confusing. I don't have the words to break down how, how okay it is that you didn't get anything.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

And I say that because in my own shoes, on thinking of last minute Christmas shopping, I'm currently doing gifts that I'm forgetting about to get people. Like, I feel just so much shame feeling like even though I know the other person would say there's no expectation, I feel like I have an expectation internally that I feel like I'm letting down. I don't know. But all to say, I promise you, it is totally okay that you didn't get us one. And I hate saying those words because I know even when I say those words, words, if they were being said to me, I'm thinking, willie, I hear you, but it's also not okay with me. So I, I look, I don't know, but I promise you there's no feeling other than if I would just joke on you, but just know that joke would have zero truth to it.

[Chef]

No, I. And look, like you just said, it's an. It's a internal expectation. I love getting people gifts. It's like one of my favorite things to do.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Chef]

So, like, it's. To me, it's even more of a thing, but it's like, yeah, it's that first year of like, like, hey, I actually have a real job now. I can get people. People don't expect it, but it's like, I didn't have a job. Like, I need to get loved ones stuff. So I think next episode we'll, we'll all. I might be coming in with a couple goodies.

[Sherm]

I was about to say, being the second closest to chef. Am I older or no, Derek's older than me, but, yeah, I was. I was a young buck. And when I envision Chef, like, I know that this is his first big boy job. I was sitting at my desk when Chef had just got hired on, and he did a little whistle underneath his breath and he goes, first check hit man. That's a good feeling. And I got to be sitting right there for it. So I envision you exactly how I was my first big boy year of like, you. You don't. You know, that was my realization of, oh, I can get gifts for people now because I can actually afford it.

[Will Compton]

But, you know, and again, this new group of people that you work with that you do love, but they've just never been in your, I guess, like, stratosphere or thought process of like, when you do do your annual gift giving for everybody, like around Christmas, and then it's like the only thing that has to happen for that domino to fall is somebody else gets gifts for people in the workspace. And then you were like, oh, snap. Like, I love these people too. I completely forgot about the whole gift factor thing. I want to get gifts now. I feel like, do. Do I get gifts? And now it's like I'm trying to compete with somebody else who just brought in, like, it's a. I feel like it's just a bizarre mental.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Will Compton]

All.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action debate lit is rocking. And the crowd lit chance echo drum beat. Everybody showing that school pride game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there, and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there, and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business. Let's create smarter business. IBM.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Breaking news, everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[Sherm]

Clean the world. We have almost 10,000 hotels that operate our Soap and plastic recycling program. And we have created and distributed 90 million free bars of soap to children, families, mothers in 127 countries across the globe.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the ripple effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.

[Sherm]

Best stat of all is that the death rate to children under the age of five dying to hygiene related illnesses has decreased by more than 60% since the day we started.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Listen to the ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Will Compton]

World when you're thinking about gift giving.

[Chef]

For everybody, 1 million percent. And to, to add on, JP got me a gift too. He got me a little Star Wars. It's like a little holographic death star light up thing for my desk. It's a little lamp that looks like a hologram. And I was in the same thing. I was just like, it's almost like you didn't. I don't even really know. But now that I know, I'm like, oh yeah. I like to give people gifts and it's fun, you know, other than like.

[Will Compton]

Giving is not my love language. I'm not a gift. Like, I'm not a not. I'm not a big gift guy.

[Sherm]

And up same.

[Chef]

I love doing it, but it's like. And with you guys, I actually know that this is the first year of getting girlfriend gifts or like actually we always got gifts, but like doing more than just like one or two. And buddy, I've been in it. It was a three week blender of like. I also I ordered something for her for her birthday. It was a. It was a little ring that had her birthstone and her sisters that she mentioned to me a while back. A big pull on me remembering that one.

[Sherm]

Come on.

[Will Compton]

Big pull as a semen. Team six.

[Sherm]

Come on.

[Chef]

Chef got cancelled, so I showed up to Knoxville back we. Her birthday is day before mine showed up. Hey, this guy. I don't know what's going on. I had something there for her that she loved. But then I was like, so now it's like Christmas coming up in a month. I'm like, I have to show up. I have to like, it's not even about. She doesn't care. Like, she's awesome. She's like, yeah, can you give me. I'm like, no, this is what I want to do is I want to make sure I come Correct.

[Sherm]

Yeah, the lady.

[Will Compton]

Now that I know, different story. I'm thinking of all. Just the. The workplace, new people. Like, different people that come into your life. You know what I mean?

[Chef]

Yeah. And then now that I know that this is kind of like, I got a little bit of parameter. I'm excited because I'm. Now I'm already thinking of what sick Nebraska memorabilia I can find Will that will get him to Chuck Knuckle. What do you get a man who has everything?

[Sherm]

You gotta. You gotta think.

[Chef]

You gotta think outside the box. And that's a challenge that in.

[Sherm]

Yeah, I was asking myself.

[Will Compton]

Go ahead.

[Sherm]

Or I was gonna say I was asking myself the very. The very same thing in Target the other day. What do you. What do you get Will Compton for Christmas?

[Will Compton]

Look, I don't even know.

[Sherm]

I think I may have nailed it. I don't want to brag, but I think I may have nailed it. Real quick, do we want to open our books? And I have a note from Derek for each person that he wanted me to read on the pod for you guys.

[Chef]

Yes.

[Will Compton]

And then also a question for the BT6 community. Again, because I live in this, this, this mental world of do I get. Do I get these gifts? Like, when friends get your kids gifts, is the etiquette or the obligation now to get their kids gifts? Because then what if you don't know what they want? You know what I'm saying? But that's for the pt6 community. It's like when friends get my kids gifts, I don't really want them to get my kids gifts because I, like, my kids will get. They'll get their gifts for Christmas. Everything else, I don't want them to have too much. Like, so many gifts, so many presents, so many toys. Like, Charlie and I both don't want a whole lot of gifts being had for birthdays and Christmas. Like, we, of course, we want to have a great time. We want them to get things that they want, but we don't want it to just be a showering of presents and gifts like on the day of. So then when friends do it, I'm like, I need to do a better job of communicating this. This is completely unnecessary. Like, I would rather you not do it, because then even you give me gifts. Now I'm thinking, I got to get your kids gifts.

[Sherm]

Exactly. In a great move from the 90s, this is a very 90s gift. But something my parents would do as a family gift to another family is if you went on a trip with them, if you had some holiday party with them or whatever, where y' all may have had a big group picture or a big family picture together. Let's say, like you and Hallett went on that Colorado trip. Y' all probably got a picture of all y' all together, right?

[Will Compton]

Yep.

[Sherm]

Get a real nice picture frame. Nothing too crazy.

[Will Compton]

I like that.

[Sherm]

Put the. Put the picture in there and write a really, like, sweet thought out note on the back of how much the Compton family loves the Howlett family. And that's like a great, hey, from my family to yours. And they can have it forever.

[Will Compton]

I need you to stop saying Howard because Nick's gonna text me and say I'm expecting a photo now.

[Sherm]

He probably will. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Okay. The book Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, we were going through clips and then a few come up on my Instagram through Mel Robbins that I absolutely love for parenting and, like, social circles and philosophies and thought processes. And so we were talking about this book. So, Derek, thank you very much for this book right here. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins.

[Sherm]

And Uncle Derek Funkle. Derek says, will, your book I have not read yet, but I know you're interested in Mel Robbins and the Let Them Theory. Although I. I've never. Although I have never read it. It is a great reminder that even though outside noise can be loud, loud, letting the loud noises be loud can help us, and that is what is important.

[Will Compton]

Love when Derek Wax is poetic.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah, Chef, you want to go next?

[Chef]

I would love to. This is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Gidara. Sorry if I butchered that name. I remember him speaking about this, so I'm excited to hear what he says.

[Will Compton]

My wife loves that book there. Which one?

[Sherm]

The yellow one right there.

[Will Compton]

Well, Charl just. Hey, look, control just came in during that moment.

[Sherm]

She's like.

[Will Compton]

She pointed at the library and was like, look, it's right there.

[Sherm]

Stay strapped.

[Will Compton]

Stay strapped.

[Sherm]

The. This is what Derek had to say for Chef. He said, chef, your book is my personal favorite that I've ever read. It is about the number 50 restaurant in the world going to number one. And it. It took. My takeaway was more than just cooking a good meal, but to get there is a great story and a great reminder that everybody needs to be on the same page for the ship to sail correctly.

[Chef]

Derek, I know you're listening to this because after we up the episode, we're. We're watching them all the way through to make sure audio doesn't screw up. Thank you so much. This is incredible. You know me, I am. I love to cook. I love everything restaurant focused. And I remember you telling me a little bit about this book. I'm really excited to give it a read and get back in my reading bag, because that's something that I've been wanting to do.

[Sherm]

I, I Last week, Chef, what's up?

[Will Compton]

You mess up something last week?

[Chef]

No, I remember the.

[Will Compton]

I remember. I remember. I just never knew what really happened.

[Chef]

It was. It wasn't. Wasn't actually our fault. It was a computer error, but we didn't catch it. That was kind of the gotcha. The gist of it.

[Sherm]

From the sound of it. Derek made it sound like it's a. It's a easy catch, easy reminder type of situation.

[Chef]

It was something when we rendered it.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chef]

And then I would go back and premiere and look, and it was perfectly fine. So it was like the. When we finished it to, like, basically for people. Long story, but, yeah, it was kind of like a weird circumstance, but. Apologize, readers.

[Will Compton]

What book you got there? Shermano. That's a popular one.

[Sherm]

Yes. I have the Creative act by Rick Rubin. He said, sherman, your book is one of my favorite books on the planet. And you got my favorite books on the planet that I bring up and read all the time. It currently sits on my desk. It is from the great music producer Rick Rubin. In any time I hit a creative roadblock, I look up a chapter in this book.

[Will Compton]

I love that.

[Sherm]

Derek, thank you so much for these. This really is a very thoughtful gift. That's very kind. He was not planning on doing this on the podcast. He was gonna give it to us, but since, you know, because of all the chaos of. Of traveling and everything, it just worked out. And I said, well, I think it would be really nice if, you know, we opened it on the podcast and read the little note. I thought. I thought that would be fun.

[Chef]

So incredibly thought.

[Sherm]

Yeah. Thank you, Derek.

[Will Compton]

Thank you, Derek. Do I gotta open yours now, Sharon?

[Sherm]

Yes, please. I. I have a gift for Rue, Scotty, and yourself in there.

[Will Compton]

Right there. Right, right there. As we were talking about that earlier, now I'm opening up a gift, and you're like, I got you a gift. R's got a gift. Sky's got a gift. Now I'm like, do I got to get Scarlet? I'll get her a.

[Sherm]

When you see their gifts, you will go, oh, I don't. I don't have to get them anything. Hey, that's a hanger and a leveler, and you got two different levels on there. Will. You can hold it vertically or horizontally. Okay. And you're able to mark with those little pins at the bottom. It puts a nice little mark in the wall that's not going to mess up the paint. I know that y' all got the new house that you're moving into, and Charles gonna be putting you to work hanging up some stuff. And so I thought I would. I would give old one shelf a little handicap.

[Will Compton]

Little Willie. One shelf a little handicap just for waffle.

[Sherm]

That's for Scotzilla. I thought it was about time that Scottzilla got her own water ball.

[Will Compton]

Her own water ball.

[Sherm]

She's always playing with waffles. Water bowl. And we've been hearing about on the pond, I said all the way up.

[Will Compton]

And set it in the middle of the floor.

[Sherm]

I said, that girl needs her own water bowl, man. She's gotta have it.

[Will Compton]

Jumbo crowns. Oh, we're gonna love this.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah. You brought up that menu that you brought home, and so I was like, oh, okay. We'll get. We'll get her some color coloring book.

[Will Compton]

Loves coloring, man. Rue loves coloring. Yeah. Did I say the dad hack last week where I'm like, get extra.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Sheets. Bring them home. Okay.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why it made me think of that. That gift was. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Loves. Loves coloring. Loves, like, artwork and stuff.

[Sherm]

And then the note is for off the pod, but there's, like, a card on the bag as well.

[Will Compton]

Oh, that's for off the pod.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Thank you, brother. Absolutely.

[Sherm]

Merry Christmas.

[Will Compton]

That's funny. The water bowl. Hilarious. I'm like, oh, is this waffles? You're like, oh, no. Scotty's got R. And Scotty a couple gifts.

[Sherm]

That's awesome.

[Will Compton]

She got Scotty her own water bowl to knock to fill up him. Not cover. Don't call. Don't call me.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Can you sign your name here?

[Will Compton]

Yeah, yeah. Hang on, fellas.

[Sherm]

No, you're fine.

[Will Compton]

She's coming, like, really soon, Chef, if.

[Sherm]

You want to go ahead, I'll go ahead and go.

[Chef]

While we're waiting.

[Sherm]

I got Chef some. Some semen team six essentials. And I got him some PT6 essentials as well.

[Will Compton]

Flashlights.

[Chef]

Flashlights.

[Sherm]

Always a good gift.

[Chef]

And I'll just point at the camera, Sher, if you want to.

[Sherm]

Got him a nice little box of Jimmy hats there, Will, since he's still semen. Team six.

[Will Compton]

Six.

[Sherm]

What? The boy out there having fun but being safe about it, being responsible. Whenever you're ready to join the ranks of PT6, we're here waiting with open arms. Thank you.

[Chef]

Yes.

[Sherm]

Yes.

[Will Compton]

Should we Hit some comments again. We're pushing.

[Sherm]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Will Compton]

Where we at? Where we at, Jeff?

[Chef]

We're at 10 minutes. We're good to go.

[Will Compton]

10 minutes left.

[Chef]

No, we're at an hour.

[Will Compton]

Right. I did want to keep this one under an hour.

[Chef]

I know. We'll, we'll push through. We'll, we'll start rocking and rolling.

[Will Compton]

All right, so we're gonna rip some comments again if you want to. If you want opportunities to be featured on for the dads, you can leave comments on YouTube, on Spotify social media, the boy cypher throne picks several. We read them on the show. If you want to be Featured on the pod via voicemail, you can call into the number 61 the dads. Leave a voicemail of a dad win loss. Whatever the story is, you call in, leave a voicemail. We'll feature on the show to the callers. We ship you guys merch and if you can't call because you're international, you just email us at 601thedadsgmail.com and we read emails as well. We'll dive into some comments. I have some general comments. I have some new dad and dad life comments. This one's comes from Max Welking 3383 on YouTube. Buddy Papa Team 6 member with an 8th 8 month old girl. I've been on operation night owl as her baby girl has been waking up frequently throughout the night and can only be comforted by being held tough. Oh good. After two attempts of putting in the crib and going from dead asleep to eyes wide open staring in my soul. Good. I brought her back in the rocking chair and thought www OSD what would willie1shelf do started. So I started terminal list and will now help me get operation night out. All I needed was a classic grape ollie pop. In all seriousness, I appreciate the pod and relatable content. I say to myself I get to do this during these late nights. I won't be able to hold my baby girl like this forever. And I can already see how fast things change. Thanks, boys. Max, that is a hell of a comment. Thank you, bro. And again, just that, that's tough. Like Scotty was kind of like being held. You put her down, her eyes get wide open. One thing I would, I would start doing is, you know, as I'm say, say my routine is I'm in the rocking chair and then I get up, I'll go from the rocking chair and stand up because obviously movement happens so they might wiggle a little bit as you stand up. I kind of sit there and I count to myself for 30 seconds as I do this sway back and forth move. And I need her to be in a dead sleep. Like, no movement, no arm movement, no anything else before I go the final, like, 10 seconds in my head. But I get this routine pack going on where it's like, I'm like. Like say I'm popping like this, or I'm popping. Then I skip one, pop again, skip another one, skip another one. And then as I continue to get going, I'll. I'll keep letting them out to where it gets slower, it gets lighter, it gets all these things. And then as I transition to put her in the crib and she might wiggle and. And wake up, I immediately try to get her on her side and mimic the routine path that I was doing. So she kind of stays in that element.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

To move, that's a win. And then again, I just keep going. I knock out the. Every other one to where it's one every few seconds. I get lighter and lighter and then to where my hand is off, or I'll, like, hold my hand, like, on her butt so she still feels that pressure. And then I lightly, lightly bring it off.

[Sherm]

And we're. And now we're out.

[Will Compton]

We're out.

[Sherm]

We're.

[Will Compton]

For now we're out. Because you're gonna have to make those transitions anyway whenever you want them to get used to being put down. Because where you're going to really knock it out is when you're able to kind of put them down and they're still kind of awake, and then they put themselves asleep. Like, that's the goal. So that way you can put them down and then walk out of the room. So I would just go from that whole routine going down to where she stays asleep. Then if she's waking up, I'm still trying to do the same thing. She might whine a little bit, but I'll keep the bat going, and I'll get down on a knee and keep doing the patent, kind of soothe through my voice just to let her know, hey, I'm here. You're safe. Dad, I can't pick you up because we're trying to teach you that you can't just be held the entire time for you to get to sleep. Then eventually they'll start getting the routine and go. And it'll be. It'll continue continually get better. But those would be kind of my steps. If you are struggling where they have to be held the entire time on trying to figure out that Progression to where you'll eventually be able to put them down. They'll go to sleep.

[Sherm]

That's a serious dad hack.

[Will Compton]

That's a serious dad hack. Because it gets. It gets. You know, you think good, you think all these things, but you're in there just like, golly, come on, man. Like being a dead sleep. Please, for the love of God, don't wake up when I put you down. So I'll just find these things that kept attaching her to what she might have felt being in my arms with the pats. Put her down, keep the same pack going. Hopefully she doesn't move. If she does, you get to a level to where you're just on the outside of the crib talking to her, not looking at them, but talking to them, letting them know they're safe. They're going to be all right.

[Sherm]

Jill. Jill's gonna hate me. I'll keep this quick. And Jill is going to hate me bringing this up, up. Because I haven't brought it up to her yet. But I'm starting to notice when Jill's doing bedtime, Scarlet has two or three little cries before she finally gets to bed.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

And when Dad D does bedtime, y'.

[Will Compton]

All.

[Sherm]

Brother, she's out on my shoulder like a light. Ain't no crying, ain't no cry. What? Hey, what. What happened the other night when I hopped on the game with you? I go, oh, Scarlett Stern. Hold on. Let me go get.

[Will Compton]

No, we was good.

[Sherm]

Hey, knock on wood. I'm. I'm setting myself up for some chaos.

[Will Compton]

You are. Because what happens is you start to let them know, like, hey, what's going on? Like, if you ever watch what I would tell Charles because she hits me with. Oh, they're different with me than they are you. Yada, yada. Listen, it is what it is. I know what? I know what kind of process I run once I get in that room and I tell her. I'm like, hey, if you ever want to come shadow me me while you go, you can watch me from afar to see if, like, you're hitting the things that you need to hit.

[Sherm]

Cuz when that seventh ounce goes down Scarlet's gullet and I get her up on right here, right here. Oh, dog, it's game over. I'm not even patting. She's already sl on my shoulder. And then I'm just as long as I want, sing maybe one or two songs, and she's out like a light. And I've kept it to myself. This is my first time kind of talking About Jill's going to hear this and be pissed because I kind of alluded to it on her third. Like to go check on her. I go, do you think she might want like. Like, is she old enough to kind of like, know the difference? And she was like, no. Then, no.

[Will Compton]

That's a very slow.

[Sherm]

I was like, okay, offer.

[Will Compton]

Like, hey, look, I know you crush it. I've noticed a couple things. We won't bring them up, but I do want you to know the offer is always there if you want to come shadow in the room while I do bedtime.

[Chef]

Sherm, I'm not a dad. And that's scary. You're bringing up. That's universal language. It doesn't even apply to just. We're walking down a treacherous path.

[Sherm]

I'm just like, hey, you know, you think she wants me to go in there and go, you know, put the passy back in and maybe a little.

[Will Compton]

Bit, hey, sweetheart, you need me to close this deal?

[Sherm]

Breaking the club. And how does that sound, Scarlet? Does that work?

[Will Compton]

Work?

[Sherm]

Yeah, I think we can go to bed. I have a comment from Tyler Schiller. Pass this along to Sherm. Babysitter tip. Have your wife find a local Nashville babysitter Facebook group and post it in there. This is where we find most of ours. Make sure they work in the healthc care fields. That may. That way when the blowouts happen for them, they aren't phased. Love the pod. Boys go Tigers from Baton Rouge. Best regards, Tyler Schiller. And he also provided his phone number.

[Will Compton]

I love that I have some new dad and dad life ones. This one's for. From Wardo21 on Spotify. Hey, boys. Jumped on the Spotify train from Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Grateful for the pod as it helps me get through each week as I fight tooth and nail with the five month old. God bless you, brother. My son Asher's putting the wife and I threw the ringer lately, but the troops are battle tested. Shout out to the boys. Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Bottles are full and drum mag of pacifiers is ready for the dads to the moon. Hashtag grinding. Appreciate you. Wardo 21.

[Sherm]

Let's go. Connor Maguder on Spotify. Old Magooder says, Sherm, thanks for ruining the end of Goonies for me. Sorry, Connor.

[Will Compton]

Her.

[Sherm]

That's my. That's on me.

[Will Compton]

I got a. A milk. Team six Papa Team six back and forth on here. This is from. From Marie Bouchard from re Bouchard Bacon on X. Shout out to the dads out there. Who do the mom task because they don't see it, because they don't see it that way and because they want to help take a load off like reading books and getting their kids up and ready for school on a 20 degree day when no one in the house slept well. He heroes with several emojis and then tagged her hubby Clifton Bacon. Clifton Bacon NY I'm assuming from New York. Cliff responds, you're the best. Maybe I'll be featured on for the dad's pod. Marie Bouchard Bacon, you should be with the kiss emoji.

[Sherm]

He got the kiss emoji.

[Will Compton]

He got the kiss emoji. Sitting there watching it right now, smiling, kind of nudging each other back and forth.

[Sherm]

Say, hey, come on man.

[Will Compton]

Hey, we mountain tonight, sweetheart.

[Sherm]

What we doing?

[Will Compton]

You got daddy featured on for the dance.

[Sherm]

They got. They got roller coasters up in New York, man. They. I will also very quick shout out for MT6 just because I'm seeing this across the board on social media. So many dads that are wearing our gear for Christmas have come in from the Black Friday sale or whenever they're shouting out their wives for thank you so much, blah blah blah. These MT6ers are the ones supplying these PT6ers with the gear. And I gotta give a huge shout out to the MT6ers.

[Will Compton]

Have to. Dude. I would love to see a dad like the white videos. Dad opens a gift and then acts like a kid on Chris showing the PT6 shirt.

[Sherm]

That would be electric. And the a special shout out and we can put it in the episode. Chef. The. The three guys that all got the matching PT6 shirt it. That was incredible. Did you just read or did I can't remember.

[Will Compton]

I think I did.

[Sherm]

Okay. Earl Laerte, PT6. I've been deployed on a mission to find the perfect beverage. And thanks to your top secret ops with Olipop, mission success has been achieved. Perhaps a bit too successfully. Classic Grape has officially infiltrated my daily rations. And now I'm completely hooked. I can't focus, I can't sleep. And I'm always reaching for the sweet, healthy carbonation of an Olipop. You've created a new recruit in the ranks of Olipop addicts. I'm now a proud member of PT Sicko and a certified GRAPE commander.

[Will Compton]

Hey, there's some stuff in the works with Olipop and for the dads. That's all I'll say. I'll leave it.

[Sherm]

Wait, wait.

[IBM Announcer]

That.

[Sherm]

All right, we'll talk after the pod Because I want to hear about that.

[Will Compton]

Or the dads bus and Ollipop. Just stuff in the works. And again a lot of the, really a lot of the feedback from, from Olipop is they absolutely love how the dad community embraces, embraces it on for the dads. Like how we kind of talk about it every week. We got people talking about Ollie, popping comments, calling in voicemails, making videos.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

And I just tell our people, I'm like, yo, it is a match made in heaven, man. Like this is a partnership that needs to happen.

[IBM Announcer]

Happen.

[Sherm]

Hey, come on, man.

[Will Compton]

Come on, man. Here we go. From Mike B on Spotify. The last one here recently. New pt6 member with a 5 week old girl. Congratulations, Mike. A colleague of mine shared the pod while in basic training and pregnancy, but didn't start.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got y'.

[Will Compton]

All.

[Coca Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The bed is rocking and the crash lit chant. Echo drum beat, everybody showing that school pride. A game like this, yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans are school colors everywhere. And an ice cold Coca Cola, that's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business. Let's create smarter business. IBM.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Breaking news everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet, it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[Sherm]

Let me start by saying it's a great day to be a gray shirt team Rubicon. You know, it truly is a team. Those folks, myself included, all had one desire, which is helping folks in disaster. Trying to be a little bit of hope in a really, really bad situation.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the ripple effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.

[Sherm]

We give just that nugget of hope helping other people. For some of our gray shirts it's during a time when they need help.

[Will Compton]

And by helping others, it helps them.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Listen to the ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Will Compton]

Listening until deep in the trenches of the first few weeks, looking for any form of acknowledgement, helpful tips. Turned on the pod during a 2am feed. First time I laughed in weeks. Validated that I wasn't the only one in the suck. I just want to say thank you, Will and Sherm, and let you know the impact you guys are having. Order my shirt. Hashtag PT6. Hashtag Good. Good. I got you this. Me up, man. Hey, Sherman, any quick tips from a man who's got a five week old right now?

[Sherm]

Honestly, dude, you are an employee of your wife now. Like, if you weren't already, you are now her employee. She is your boss. And think about how you try to make your boss happy at work. Flip that script. The house is now your office, and she's your boss that you just got to impress. And you're looking to get that promotion. Just apply that to whatever you're doing, and you're gonna kick some ass.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. And the baby's the product that you have to retest, retest, retest. Until perfection.

[Sherm]

Until perfect.

[Will Compton]

Guess what? There is no perfection.

[Sherm]

You look up 18 years and then you know, know they. They ship off and I. I don't know.

[Will Compton]

But you be proud of you back. This is it. All that damn work.

[Sherm]

And you still never got the promotion. Eighteen years later, you still.

[Will Compton]

You'll never get thanked for it.

[Sherm]

No. Brad from Spotify has a legendary one. He said last night, middle of the night, I got a. Do you not hear her crying? And your boy. Your boy faked being asleep because I got to work in the morning. My fault. Brad from Spotify. Hey, brad. We.

[Will Compton]

Just.

[Sherm]

Just charo and jill. Fast forward through this. She's been crying for. For 10 minutes. Oh, my gosh. Oh. Oh, okay.

[Will Compton]

All right. Yeah.

[Sherm]

I'm sorry.

[Will Compton]

You gonna go get her? You want. You want me to. Oh, I'm sorry.

[Sherm]

I'm sorry. Were you not awake? Did you just wake up?

[Will Compton]

Well, I'd like for you to go up and get her. All right, so does that mean I have to or you just like for me to. Because I'll be honest, I don't want.

[Sherm]

Because I'd like to ride the shock wave right now, but it looks like.

[Will Compton]

That ain't the cards.

[Sherm]

So what are we talking about? You wake me up talking crazy like this. Let's Go.

[Will Compton]

I'd like you to go to. Well, I'd like some intercourse, but we don't see that happening. So does that mean I gotta go up there?

[Sherm]

All right.

[Will Compton]

Just Josh. And just Josh.

[Sherm]

Hey, we're just joking. Charlie, Jill, you can. You can press play now. You're. We're back. Like I have another one. ZS59GOAT on YouTube. He said, Fellas, good as an abstent abstinent couple waiting for marriage. So pumped to propose to my old lady here soon. Mount up. This show fires me up to be the best father Sl. Husband Slman I can be. Shout out. You boys hashtag abstinent Sicko out. Hey, you want to talk about a certain platoon of st. Sickos? You want to talk about the first time those bars of Shockwave just clank and lock you in? And it's right before that. That little incline we haven't even started to go up the. Like, we're just.

[Will Compton]

Just.

[Sherm]

We're kind of waiting there. And you're looking at the guy with the controls, and he's. He's balding terribly, but he still has like, the longest hair ever. He's got the Ben Franklin going. And he just kind of looks at you and he gives you that little smile and that finger just drops on that red button, baby.

[Will Compton]

I'm gonna figure it's the red button. It's like that scene in the Titanic where the water just breaks through and just floods the entire. The entire floor.

[Sherm]

Oh, man. Congrats to you. Congrats to the old lady for. For that future. Future experience. And I, I.

[Will Compton]

That's gonna be a spiritual experience.

[Sherm]

Spiritual experience. And I'm predicting a honeymoon baby. Oh, gotta be maybe a wedding night baby. We might get. We might get a wedding night baby.

[Will Compton]

Possibly. There's gonna be so much, it just might drown all of them out. You know what I'm saying? There might be too many. It's gonna be New York City in there.

[Sherm]

The bath, the steam coming off the bathroom tiles. Hey, honey, will insurance that. Make sure you breathe that in. That keeps you from getting sick. That's that stuff to put the hair on your chest.

[Will Compton]

Oh, this is where we're just up late. We're up late night on Christmas Eve right now laughing over the dumbest stuff.

[Sherm]

Oh, my God. But yeah, spirit, I remember my first time.

[Will Compton]

It was like New York City over there.

[Sherm]

I would. I would pack some liquid IVs. I would pack some ollipops.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

You know, you're gonna want to stay hydrated.

[Will Compton]

Stay hydrated. Just imagine he gets done. He's sitting on the edge of the bed. She just hears. You want one of these? Classic grapes. They're tasty.

[Sherm]

We got some ridge rushes too, but it tastes like a thousand skittles hitting your mouth at once. I don't know if you want that. That. It's whatever. Love you, baby.

[Will Compton]

Do.

[Sherm]

Do you have any other comments? I have two more I can motor through.

[Will Compton]

No, read one more because I, I gotta. Your boys got to get rolling. I was serious about. We got to keep it under an hour. We're well over an hour, so we get a roll. All right.

[Sherm]

We got to roll. Timmy J. 42 boys. Willie talked about the Daddy watch me stage. Well, I got 1. My 2 year old son is in the Daddy I do this stage.

[Will Compton]

Good.

[Sherm]

Once to pour his own water. Water all over the floor. Good. Wants to feed the dogs dog food all over the floor. Even better. Wants to get his own food out of the fridge. Food everywhere. Good. Wants to put sprinkles on the cookie. Dumps half the sprinkle can all over half of half of the cookie and half on the floor. Good.

[Will Compton]

That right there. I, he just brought up the I, I, I do this stage. Like that is for sure coming with Rue. Like she's miss Independent. She wants to do everything. Sometimes I gotta stop her from doing stuff like this. Sweetheart. This is gonna be a disaster.

[Sherm]

One of our favorite family inside jokes is a family friend. I'll use the name Sarah to stay anonymous, but one time the mom said, hey, you better listen him because I'm the boss. And her little two year old turned around and said, no, Sarah the boss. And that's it. Like our most quoted, like inside joke of the family of just like those little kids are like, I am the captain now.

[Will Compton]

Charl was saying that Rue hit her with. I forget what Charles said to her, but Rue hit her with, no, I'm my own person. Person.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah, okay, Rue.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. No, I am my own person.

[Sherm]

That's the hard turn in black. That's what we like to see.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, that's.

[Sherm]

That, that's.

[Will Compton]

Welcome to the A Gap.

[Chef]

Your daughter's three.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Chef]

I'm praying for you, buddy.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Oh, yeah, bro. She's, she's, she's strong willed. She's gonna be, she's tough. But you see the potential I'm fired up for.

[Sherm]

Absolutely. We have. What'd you say? Yeah, call ins, voicemails. We'll just do one.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, let's hit one voicemail because I got a couple emails here too. We'll do one voicemail and three total emails.

[Chef]

This is recreating outfits.

[Mike from Cleveland]

Hey, PT6, Mike from Cleveland. I wanted to also say something from the last episode that Sharon was talking about. This is a little bit of a dad hack because Sherman was talking about how he was catching a little flack from daycare about how it looks like dad picked out the outfit and they ratted him out to mom. And just to put you on some game, a little bit of a hack that I came across and have been doing is that I throw on outfits from pictures that we have. You know, like everyone's got that little family album. I go into the family album sometimes and I'll look at pictures that I know mom, you know, had put together, that my wife had put together. So I just recreate what she's done before. Sometimes you gotta look recently and the other day, because I do all pick up and drop off too. Sure. My wife is a. Is a nurse, just like your wife. And so. So I'm picking up and dropping off and dressing sometimes in the morning when she's got to be there early. And so they recently just said, this is like the best dressed baby that we got coming in here. And. And you know, of course, I can't let them know that mom's calling the plays. Mom wrote the playbook. I'm just the quarterback. That's execut. So, you know, you get to catch a little credit there. So for all the other dads not sure what's going on and what to pick out from the drawer, that's a little hack to. To get you by. All right, boys, stay strong. PT6, out.

[Sherm]

I love that guy.

[Will Compton]

That's. That's a great phone call. That's a great voice.

[Sherm]

I love that because he.

[Chef]

He.

[Will Compton]

I get it. Humility. He's like, my wife's the coordinator. I'm the quarterback. No, your wife's the head coach. You're the coordinator on the field calling the plays. You might have the book ready to go, but somebody, you got to be instinctual. When you're out there making these plays, you're the one doing it.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Will Compton]

Whenever in the future people start looking, you start to look, and I'm going to get promoted. I'm going to go be a head man somewhere. This is. These are the philosophies and the books you keep prepared and ready to go for whenever you do get that big payday and leave your wife and go command your own team.

[Sherm]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Golly, that. That was such a great call. What was that guy's first name? Just so I could. Does he say it at the very beginning?

[Chef]

I don't want to go back into the computer so people can see.

[Will Compton]

Come on, Chef.

[Chef]

I don't think he said his name. No, he did.

[Sherm]

He. All that being said, dude, great call in and love that your wife is also a nurse. Love that you're doing the pickup drop offs. I felt so heard by that voicemail. Like that truly made my heart so happy. And a great dad had hack. That's a great dad hack.

[Will Compton]

You felt heard. And there's a solution in there that you can. You can legitimately learn from.

[Sherm]

Yes.

[Will Compton]

And copycat league, man. Copycat league.

[Sherm]

Copycat league. I. That's an easy one.

[Chef]

I'll.

[Sherm]

I'll apply that this next week. You. Did you have some emails?

[Will Compton]

Yeah. So I got a couple emails here. 1. This first one is from Daniel Edwards. Boys, I'm a father of three, a 10 year old, a three year old and a newborn. I just found your podcast about a week ago and it is already my new favorite podcast. Shout Out. Daniel, let's go. All the stories are relatable and I love knowing I'm not alone. Your advice, your advice about everything being good and putting in the relief pitch picture got me in trouble. I just got home from work when my. My wife immediately handed me the baby, saying she. Saying he needed a nap. I started rocking him in the living room chair. Meanwhile, the toddler wanted to see how loud she could be. Good. She threw the toys everywhere.

[Sherm]

Good.

[Will Compton]

The 10 year old needed help with her homework. And it's the new math. Not the math that we grew up on. It's the new math that they're doing now. Good. I'm sitting here trying to rock the baby and see that mom is getting flustered. I think to myself, this is it. She's going to put in the lefty. I smile and think I get to deal with this. I'm smiling year to year. The call comes into the bullpen, but it comes with a pep talk. Why are you smiling? This is not funny. You deal with it. I love the podcast and thank you for making one that shows that it's okay to mess up. We are all human and that's nice. So a Milk Team sixer. She's not. She didn't even know she's a Milk Team 6. What are you grinning about? What are you smiling about? This ain't funny.

[Sherm]

Because I've been waiting for this moment my entire life. Yeah.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Sherm]

This is what it's all About?

[Will Compton]

What do you mean, why am I smiling? These are the moments I prayed for.

[Sherm]

You know, there's two men that I think of when. When you're talking to me like this. You ever heard of a fat staff or Willie one shell? They talk about this a lot, huh, honey? Talk about this exact moment.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, this exact. And when the chaos is. Is. Is just fungling in. Just chaos ensuing. You sit back, you smile. Good.

[Sherm]

He's doing a villain monologue. Like he's monologuing before he even jumps in to help. Just let the wife know. I. I have two fun comments that are very short and then you can read another email. You want to do that?

[Will Compton]

Let's do that.

[Sherm]

This one comes from our friend Josiah, Comedian Discovery. He said, Willie H. Vac reporting for duty. Love watching the Diddy doc while my 3 year old colors. Good.

[Will Compton]

Well, the three year old.

[Sherm]

This is a Christmas card. I wanted to make sure that we got on the pod. It was emailed to us as well. So that came from the Schroeder family. So shout out the Schroeder family. Eli writes. Merry Christmas from the Schroeder family, fellas. Thank you guys for creating such an uplifting and supportive community. I'm proud to be a PT Sicko. My wife Megan, my daughter Eleanor and I wish all of you a happy holidays, Eli Schroeder.

[Will Compton]

Happy holidays, Eli.

[Sherm]

Happy holidays, Eli.

[Will Compton]

I got. All right, this last email comes from Anissa. Hey, guys, my name is Anissa and yes, I'm a woman. Laugh out loud.

[Sherm]

Let's go with Nyssa.

[Will Compton]

I found the podcast in my husband Jordan, who listens to y' all religiously. He's even gotten a few words of the dads that we have in our family to start listening as well. From busting with the boys to now for the dads. We ourselves are not parents, not by choice, but because of myself being infertile due to having stage four endometriosis. We tried for about two years to have a child, but the odds were against us and we decided to stop all fertility treatments and came to the conclusion that we are happy with just us and our cat. We pour all of our love into our 11 nieces and nephews. My husband has shown me the episodes where Will has talked about his and his wife's journey with fertility and ivf. Thank you guys for being so open with that. We know it can be a very sensitive subject and to talk about and I just want to say how appreciative we and I'm sure many others are that you talked about it so openly. My husband's not a dad, but I know he would have been the best because he's amazing uncle and the best cat dad. Thank you guys for making this podcast what it is and for not getting. Not giving only my husband, but many others a fun, safe place to come together. So much love to you all and your family. Stay blessed. Golly, man, thank you. The tears are almost start to come on that one. I. Yeah, man.

[Sherm]

The.

[Will Compton]

The infertility stuff. I can only imagine being in. In their shoes and getting to a point to where you're just like, all right, it's just not going to happen for us. I'm sure those conversations are super heavy. I'm sure super emotional. I'm sure both sides feel like it's their fault at times. Each side probably gets concerned or scared or fear creeps in that the other like, hey, I know you're my teammate. Are we sure we're okay with this? Are you sure you're okay with this? I know you want to feel like, you know those conversations that. I'm just assuming they're having those conversations. I'm not saying that they are, but I'm sure that's very. That's. That's very difficult. And Anissa, thank you. Thank you for writing in. George, Shout out you for listening to Bus with the boys. Shout out for listening for the dads. I'm glad you love this podcast guest.

[Sherm]

I. It. I will say this because I. I haven't talked to them. I need to, but I had a couple friends that I've brought up to you outside of the pod before, and yeah, they had been trying for a while and, like, a very long time, and, uh, they just found out that they're pregnant. And it, like, getting to see that desire, like, firsthand and, like, knowing how much they wanted just makes comments like that, like, hit so much harder. And so it was George and Anissa, correct?

[Will Compton]

Jordan and Anissa.

[Sherm]

Jordan and Anissa. Apologies. Yeah. Just so much love goes out to you guys, guys, especially around the holidays. And y' all just sound like incredible people. Yeah, y' all sound like you have a great view and great optics on your life and just planning your family and loving others well. And we're really, really lucky that there are people like that in this world that are deserving. And I wish more than anything that, you know, maybe one day. But, gosh, you all are so deserving. You sound incredibly delightful.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. Yeah. And how lucky are those nieces and nephews where they have, like, again, it's so easy to write it down that we pour into our nieces and nephews. If they do that. They do do that. Them doing that intentionally.

[IBM Announcer]

No.

[Will Compton]

Knowing all the probably pain, anger, fear that they've, you know, had throughout the entire process.

[Chef]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

And to have that perspective when going into the room around your nieces and nephews and not having like a. An envy or jealousy, which I'm sure creeps up at times, like we're all human.

[Sherm]

Yeah.

[Will Compton]

And just to know like that stuff decide because, hey, this is how we are going to get to do this is by pouring into our cat, pouring into our nieces and nephews. Like you said. Said they sound like wonderful people.

[Sherm]

That. That's the luckiest cat in North America.

[Will Compton]

I can probably lucky in North America. Man.

[Sherm]

That thing is getting some belly scratches out the wazoo.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. Yeah. But thank you for writing in, Anissa. We love you guys. We appreciate you. Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa. All of it, man.

[Sherm]

All of it, man.

[Will Compton]

The only thing to quote anything I got for you guys this week is just what I said in the very beginning. Beginning joy over stress again. There's. There's a lot of families out there where they. They either have families visiting, you're going to visit, you're traveling with kids, you're hosting a lot of whatever it is. There's gonna be families out there that probably don't have anybody coming over. It might just be them. And things will feel very stressful. Things can feel very stressful on the holidays. Myself, I lost my mom right before Christmas four years ago. So Christmas time to me, I. I adore Christmas. I love everything that we're about to do and about to get to. And I always have those fleeting thoughts of this time and the way I felt four years ago around Christmas, the holiday season. So there's a lot of stress that can easily pour into your mind and body. Like when holiday season is coming, especially the day of when your kids are shredding presents. They're doing this. Oh, we wanted to eat dinner first. We should eat breakfast before we do press. There's going to be chaos all over the place. Kids are going to want to play with their toys and not do what you thought you had planned, but just choose joy over stress. That would be my biggest. That is what I'm thinking as we go in. Because as this week was unwinding on me, I felt behind the eight ball with bus in and the ruby and sick. And then, you know, getting back from traveling and Being gone in New York for a few days to trying to get back in it. It's hard to get back in it. Your little one gets sick. The Charl and Scotty, the other other ones get sick. Tower House is sick. Hey, we might not be able to do for the dad say I don't think I can shoot you up to the locker room. Like all the things where it's like my parents are coming. Damn, I forgot to get gifts for a few different people. I'm doing all this last minute stuff to where it just. It feels stressful at times and I'm just. The approach that I'm thinking of now is brother, choose joy over stress. Like these are the moments you want. These are the moments you've looked for.

[Sherm]

I could not retweet you harder. That's my example. Exact message. I had a little thing written out. But basically it breaks down to. I think the only Christmas where I really remember gifts was when we got our Nintendo 64 and I got my hands on GoldenEye and hockey. Your boy will never forget bawling my eyes out and fighting and crying with my brother. That's Will's age. Four years older than me. Me as he was saying all the video games that were the good ones, those were all his. But I could have Mario Kart but he got to have all the big boy video games that.

[Will Compton]

But same with Sega Genesis. I'll always remember open up a Sega Genesis.

[Sherm]

Oh yeah, dude. Oh yeah.

[Will Compton]

Always a video game console outside of that. Yeah, you go on, you continue well.

[Sherm]

And just all that being said, like it gifts. I. I feel like, like that's kind of the overarching. Everybody always says, hey, it's not about the gifts. But what I would go a step further is I feel like my family did a really good job of making memories on Christmas day or the days around it of we would go on jeep rides with my aunt. She fixed up old jeeps and we'd go with the top down. She's lives in Tallahassee. And we'd go on these jeep rides like around Christmas day. And I remember like being wrapped in the blankets like in the back of her jeep with all of us like crammed in there and like giggling and blasting Christmas music and my grandmother being in there and going horseback riding, going. We did a bike ride on a nature trail one year. Like we would always do these activities and like that's what I think of whenever I think of Christmas. It's like, like those really fun activities that we would do. And so I would just say to any PT6ers, MT6ers looking to create magic, plan some kind of fun little adventure to do on Christmas Day or around Christmas, those are the memories that the kids are going to remember.

[Will Compton]

Well said, bro. Well said. Even those moments, too, where, like, where it's like, it's not about gifts. People are right. But also think about the moment around opening a gift that you were wanting or expecting or whatever. It is just feeling of excitement that your parents are. We, like, as parents are going to pour in when those moments are happening that they will remember. It's like, I, dude, I remember being so fired up saying Genesis. My dad was fired up for me. My mom was fired up for me, brother. You're sitting there kind of like, oh, is this ours or is this mine? You know, you're kind of going back and forth there. But just the environment and moment around the gift opening is. Dude, it's special. I'm excited. We got, we got Rue. Can't tell her. Rue can't listen to the podcast. But we got her. She wanted two things. She wanted a bike, and she wanted, for whatever reason, she wanted binoculars. So, so we got her a bike. I'm so fired up for her to see her bike and then the binoculars. Like, I, I, I'm, I'm just excited to see what her reaction is going to be because I'm thinking it's crazy she wants binoculars. But, hey, that's what you told Santa you want wanted.

[Sherm]

You know what the lesson of the week of, of Rue is this week is that girl knows what she wants. And I can admire that.

[Chef]

Hey, Will.

[Will Compton]

Yeah.

[Chef]

You know what you need to do? Have you ever the old trick of hide it somewhere else that's not, like, around the tree, get all the gifts done. You, Christmas is over. Yeah, you hit her with the. Hey, Rue, can you, can you go out? We need to go to the garage to grab something. You hide it somewhere, like, away. It's the, the smoke and mirrors. It's a. Oh, it's a great play.

[Will Compton]

Hey, it's the Red Rider BB gun.

[Sherm]

Real, real quick. Shout out the Christmas. My parents got me a dirt bike. First off, my parents were so fucking awesome. Now that I, like, think back to the gift. I had a go kart and a dirt bike because we lived out in the, in the country.

[Will Compton]

That is amazing. Well, any of my boys had a go kart, bro.

[Sherm]

Oh, boys, I'm telling you. And we lived, like, in this big abandoned creek bed. Like, I mean, ripping through there, y' all Would have loved hanging out my place. But, yeah, they had the dirt bike hiding at our neighbor's house for, like, a week. And the neighbors came and rolled it into the garage. Dude, the magic of them. Us going outside and the garage door opening. My dad, who clicked that. Hey, what's going on? The garage door opening. What is that? What's that right there? Oh, my God. I was staring that dirt bike down like, bro, there is so much magic in gift giving. That's so true.

[Will Compton]

There is. Oh, I can't wait, man. Dude, every year. I don't know if I said this last week or not, but every year it would be, you know, my mom, no matter what you. The Christmas story had to be on. Did I say that last week?

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah. Yes. TNT marathon, baby.

[Will Compton]

Marathon. The Red Rider BB guy. Hey, what's that? What's. What's that over there? The kid opens it up. That's the scene. That's the moment. That's the.

[Chef]

Oh, I forget when. But my dad did that to me. I think it was with a bike, where he was like, hey, you need to go grab this out of the. Out of the fridge out in the garage. And I went out there, and he pulled. It was something like that where he pulled a double look on me. And it's. As a kid, it's like, the best thing ever. Yeah, because you're a little down. You've been asking for it for, like, four months.

[Sherm]

Oh, yeah, dude.

[Chef]

God, I could.

[Sherm]

I could.

[Chef]

You could get everything else off the tree if it's just this one thing.

[Mike from Cleveland]

Yeah.

[Chef]

Get rid of it all. And then you're you in Christmas, and it's like, you're grateful, of course, because you're, you know, got all these awesome gifts. But then it's like the Switch Evans, and you're like, oh, my God, this might be the best Christmas.

[Sherm]

Hey, Last dad hack. Last dad hack. And I meant to say this. My dad. Dad and mom were crazy good at the Santa stuff. One year, we were getting a puppy, but we had to pick up the puppy from the breeders. And so the way that my dad was able to trick us and make it into, like, a really great surprise is that we were gonna go run an errand. And we were out running the errand in his car. He rolled down the window because he had to spit out the window. And he had a note from Sam Santa that he did a little sneaky whoop, and it flew back into the back. Didn't say a word. So Jordan and I, my brother, go, what was that? They just flew in my dad's like, what are you talking about? It's a letter from Santa saying go to this address. I have this gift for you like that, you know, I want you to.

[Will Compton]

Bro.

[Sherm]

It was a move of the century. I thought until I was, was 12 years old that Santa magically made that note fly into our car.

[Will Compton]

Yo. I love that.

[Sherm]

Such a move, such a move.

[Will Compton]

I love that.

[Sherm]

Dude.

[Will Compton]

That is a great move.

[Sherm]

Good move, dude. And you just let the kids kind of, you know, fill in all the blanks.

[Will Compton]

Then when you're young too and your mom gets you like stu, you know, I don't know if your guys experience did this, but like I, whether it be in a gift or in my stocking, it'd be like a pack of underwear or a pack of socks. I was just thinking what the.

[Sherm]

These are.

[Will Compton]

This hasn't been on any of my list that I've written. Santa Claus. Yeah, some like Fruit of the Loom or Hanes underwear. I'm just like, that's.

[Chef]

This isn't the trampoline. The full size trampoline I asked for.

[Sherm]

That was the, that was the benefit of having Ms. Amy as my mom and just the goofy, fun, creative artist brain that she had of like our stocking gifts every year were that underwear, socks, you know, just like, like essentials. Yeah, essentials. But she would always get just the weirdest, quirkiest, fuzzy socks or this type of funny underwear and da, da, da. And like that's, that's a nice little dad hack for anybody out there. You know, get the socks, get the underwear for sure. But like you can get fun and creative with it. And I always thought it was so funny. Like just the little stocking stuffers my mom would get were just like, where do you even find this stuff? It wasn't like it was expensive or nice or anything. It was just like, where did you actually get this? Yeah, it was like the, the air mall. What was that called on airplanes back in the day? You know the little magazines in the airplanes that would have like the Harry Potter ones and all those. I would say I stopped seeing. Oh, sky movies Mall. Sky Mall. That's what it was called. It was in the back of your airplane seat, you would pull out the Sky Mall magazine.

[Will Compton]

And how long ago was that?

[Sherm]

Oh, brother. You were probably from ages 8 to 16, I bet.

[Will Compton]

See, I never, I never got on. I never rode a plane until after my senior year of high school.

[Sherm]

Oh, for Nebraska.

[Will Compton]

Yeah. Essentially my first plane ride ever was when I went to the like offense, defense, men's high school all American game in January of 2000 of 2008. That was my first time. And I flew by myself.

[Sherm]

And was that chartered? Like, was that flight for the players?

[Will Compton]

No, no, no, no, no. They're like, I got picked to go to the game. So I. We drive up to St. Louis Airport. I get on a flight, probably southwest, fly down to Miami. Got it. First time flying solo. Dolo to, too.

[Sherm]

Did you feel like just such a adult, Such a grown like an adult and nervous?

[Will Compton]

Yeah, because it was my first plane. You know what I mean? Like, it's not like my mom could go past security and everything else with me. And now you're kind of nervous, like, okay, I can't miss this flight. I gotta figure out what all these letters and numbers mean getting to the gate.

[Sherm]

And now you're. Now you're spending Christmas in New York.

[Will Compton]

New York.

[Sherm]

Juggle something or something.

[Will Compton]

All right, boys, we got it. Roll.

[Sherm]

Get out of here. Hey, thank you for making this happen.

[Will Compton]

Yeah, absolutely. Shout out Papa Team 6D guys, girls, everybody. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. We love you. We appreciate you. Are we going to see him next week, or is next week like a best of, best of, best of episode next week. It's been a phenomenal year. Let's start getting right for the New Year's, New Year's resolutions. I feel like just a piece of work, dude. I got to really look at myself in the mirror. But happy holidays. Merry Christmas. I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday. And. Yeah, take out the trash. Clean up all the wrapping paper.

[Sherm]

Yeah, clean up all the wrapping paper.

[Will Compton]

Good. The holidays are already in full swing. The lights are up. You got good people, good food, and good vibes. And there to help eat that energy going is Sprite Winter spice Cranberry with that crisp cranberry flavor with a smooth winter spice twist. It's the drink that livens up game nights, gift extension changes, or just catching up in the kitchen with a burst of holiday flavor. It's a seasonal favorite, but it's only here for a limited time, so grab it while you can. Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry Sprite.

[Sherm]

Obey your thirst at cvs.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack at cvs. We're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit [e-mail] or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.

[Sherm]

We interrupt this episode to bring you.

[Will Compton]

Bojangles breakfast, lunch or dinner. Bojangles makes your tailgate a win winner. We're talking about crispy chicken made from scratch biscuits and all of the fixin. Be the MVP this season and let Bojangles do the cooking now. Right now, if you go to the app Bojangles app and you use code Bussin, that's B u s s I n you can get 20% off your order. Made from scratch biscuits, crispy chicken, drizzle the honey on top, get after it, live it, love it, laugh it. Bojangles time baby off busin b u s s I n back to this episode.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

This is an Iheart podcast. Guaranteed.