Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Parent Chat with Dylan Dreyer

Episode: Dylan Dreyer and The Office's Brian Baumgartner on Finding Your People as a Parent
Date: June 18, 2026
Host: Dylan Dreyer
Guest: Brian Baumgartner (Kevin on The Office)

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Episode Overview

This heartfelt and humorous episode centers on the surprising, rewarding, and sometimes awkward adventure of making adult friends—especially as a parent. Host Dylan Dreyer welcomes longtime friend and actor Brian Baumgartner for a candid discussion about how their families became close, how rare and special parent friendships can be, and the realities of blending families and parenting styles. The conversation is light, honest, and filled with relatable moments for every parent seeking “their people.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unlikely Origin Story of Their Friendship

• Meeting at a Golf Tournament
  • Dylan and Brian detail their first interaction during the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Initially, Brian admits to not wanting to engage, having “nodded politely” in passing.
  • “If we’re going to tell the story... I nodded but thought I’m not really going to engage with her. I mean, I’m just being honest.” — Brian (03:43)
• The Memorable "Name Mishap"
  • Brian repeatedly called Dylan “Katherine” at a dinner party, confusing her with another friend (Katherine Tappin)—a moment that broke the ice and set the tone for their playful dynamic.
  • “What’s my name?” (Dylan, 06:10)
    — Brian admits: “Can’t find it. Can’t find it anywhere.” (06:32)
• Both Hosts Acknowledge Social Awkwardness
  • Despite their public personas, Dylan and Brian describe themselves as shy and not naturally outgoing in social settings. The name debacle actually made them more comfortable being themselves.
  • “That’s what clicked for me.” — Dylan (08:16)

Key Segment:

How Their Kids Clicked Instantly

• The pair reflect on their children, who—despite being “the same kind of weird”—immediately found friendship, which deepened the families' bond.
• “And when you watch them play, they’re all like the same kind of weird, you know?” (Dylan, 12:44)

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2. The Challenge (and Magic) of Adult & Family Friendships

• Why Parent Friendships Can Be So Elusive
  • Both discuss how making friends as adults is difficult, especially “family friends” that click on multiple levels (adults and kids).
  • “What is really difficult is finding friends for my family, like, family friends.” — Brian (09:19)
• Long-distance Friendships Work—If They're Right
  • Despite living on opposite coasts, Dylan and Brian’s families make the effort, often seeing each other more than neighbors.
  • “I feel like I have seen you more often than I see some folks who live up the street.” — Dylan (09:47)

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3. Blending Families: Parenting Styles & Kid Dynamics

• Parenting in Harmony
  • Both families share a teasing, joking style, letting kids figure things out independently. This common ground helps avoid parental tension on trips.
  • “We talk to our kids as if they’re not kids, right? Like, we joke with them, we tease them, we let them figure things out on their own.” — Dylan (17:36)
• Navigating Kid Friendships & Growing Up
  • The pair reflect on whether teasing about “crushes” or changing dynamics as kids age might affect the friendship. Dylan admits to overthinking as a mom; Brian prefers to “keep them right where they are.”
  • “I just want to keep them just right where they are because I love this relationship that they have.” — Brian (17:33)
• Matching Parenting "Weaknesses"
  • Brian confesses he’s never taught his daughters to ride a bike—a relatable “parenting fail.”
  • “I haven’t taught my girls to ride a bike.” — Brian (26:59)

Memorable Story: Ski Trip “Yelling” Incident

• Brian’s loud, booming (but joking) voice scared Dylan’s young son, leading to a family joke about “Brian yelling” that endures.
• “He’s just shaking his head... Did Brian yell at you? He’s like...[waterworks]” — Dylan (20:01)

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4. The (Often Funny) Practicalities of Traveling with Friends

• Splitting Costs & Contributions
  • The dynamic of generosity, with both playful accusations and clear mutual appreciation.
  • “You are very generous in your contributions. There’s not any... it just works out really well.” — Brian (22:02)
• Inviting Themselves Over & Care Packages
  • Dylan and Brian poke fun at awkwardness around who invites whom and joke about care packages and gifts unused (“You really have to use the extra large electric griddle.” — Dylan, 22:56).

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5. Parenting Confessions & Wins

• Dylan: Hates the playground, “does not like imaginative play.” (26:55)
• Brian: Confesses to not teaching his kids to ride bikes, but takes pride in their aquatic skills.
  • “They’ll do anything in the water and have been in the water since they were very young.” (28:32)
• The Value of Cross-Family Influence
  • Dylan notes Brian’s kids’ bravery in the water encouraged her kids to try more, and vice-versa for activities like biking.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Friendship should be easy. You should be able to be yourself...those friendships will fall into your lap and it’ll be nice and easy.” — Dylan (closing reflection, 31:10)
• “Honestly, I think that is true. This is why we're friends.” — Brian, on the dinner party debacle (03:01)
• “I haven’t taught my girls to ride a bike.” — Brian (26:59)
• “Our kids have seen each other more often than I see some folks who live up the street.” — Dylan (09:47)
• “It’s weird that it worked as well as it did. You have girls, I have boys...When you watch them play, they’re all like the same kind of weird.” — Dylan (12:44)
• “Your shared humor is in part making fun of me. I don’t really know how I win in that whole game.” — Brian (11:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:16] The infamous “what's my name?” dinner party moment
• [08:56] Discussing how hard it is to make adult friends
• [12:11-14:43] Their family friendship & how the kids clicked instantly
• [17:36] Their similar, “figure-it-out” parenting style
• [19:00-21:17] The ski trip “yelling” story
• [26:55-29:31] Parenting confessions & influence on each other's kids
• [31:10] Dylan’s closing thoughts on friendship and being yourself

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Takeaways for Parents

• Finding true family friends as an adult is rare, but magical when it happens—embrace your quirks and let connections happen naturally.
• Parenting styles matter when families spend extended time together; shared values and humor reduce tension and build trust.
• It's normal to have “parenting confessions”—everyone has things they don’t do perfectly.
• Supporting each other’s kids leads to surprising mutual growth (and fun family legends!).

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Episode Tone

Warm, genuine, and playful, with plenty of honest "been there" stories and a comedic, self-deprecating vibe. Both Dylan and Brian bring out the best in each other by being open about their imperfections and celebrating the everyday joys (and fails) of parenting and friendship.

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Transcript

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[Dylan Dreyer]

It's weird that it worked as well as it did. You have girls. I have boys.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And I have boys who literally, if they mention another girl from their class at the dinner table, they're teasing each other. You have a crush on so and so and you have a. You know, and it's like. But they all just. There was the first meeting where they all like kind of look down at their shoes and it's like, hi. Hi. Nobody says anything. And then two seconds later they were off playing hide and go seek.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And yeah, like really fast.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And when you watch them play, they're all like the same kind of weird. Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Parent Chat. And I'm really excited for today's conversation because I find as an adult, it's hard to make friends, especially friends who have kids your kids age, so everybody can hang out together. I found that friend and his kids are really good friends with my kids. So I kind of found that unicorn that I'm looking for as an adult. And my friend is none other than Brian Baumgartner. You know him as Kevin Malone on the Office. Brian and I actually met on the golf course a couple of years ago and it's a friendship that just clicked. And even better, a friendship our kids had click as well. So I'm so excited for this conversation with him on the Parent Chat. Hi, Brian. Thank you for being here.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Hi, Dylan. Thank you so much for having me today.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I feel like I've done all of your podcasts. Yeah. So I thought you know, we've talked about golf like we've talked about all the other things, but we've never actually talked about how we jive as friends and our families are friends. So that's kind of what we're going to get into. But not everyone knows how we actually met.

[Etsy Advertiser]

Oh.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I mean this is not a proud moment for me. It is for you. It is.

[Dylan Dreyer]

This is why we're friends.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Honestly, I think that is true.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So a little backstory. It's the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of

[Brian Baumgartner]

Champions free shout out hgv.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes. It is a golf tournament that we play in. In January.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That is correct.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And. And the first day is random pairing and we were randomly paired up for that Thursday.

[Brian Baumgartner]

We were. Yes, yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So on Wednesday, Tuesday. Oh, we had the meet, like the party.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And I introduced myself. Or you introduced. Either way, like, oh, we're playing together on Thursday.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

But let's be fair. I mean if we're going to tell the story. We had like politely nodded over the years.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I don't think so, like run into each other. You wouldn't have nodded at me.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I nodded. I nodded.

[Etsy Advertiser]

I don't think.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, I. Cuz I haven't, if I'm being clear. Like I, I nodded but thought I'm not really going to engage with her. That's. I mean I'm just being honest. It was just like, hello, I don't know her. She's show host.

[Dylan Dreyer]

She's like one of two girls in the whole tournament.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Hello. So yeah, good to see you.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes. But you came up. We started chatting.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Cuz I now had an in to say, hey, we get to play together.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So then we go to the rules party that night.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And it was an easy conversation. Right.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Vibing.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes. We kind of clicked.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So we clicked to the point where you actually invited me out to dinner, this big dinner like the next night. Not just me. It was like it's a big dinner with a lot of the people that are playing in the tournament.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes. So local guy hosts this big dinner. And so we were vibing. And so I turned to one of the other athletes who participated in the tournament. I was like, you know, I think, I think dryer. I think, I think we should invite

[Angie Advertiser]

her to the dinner.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I think she should get an invite.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

So I invite you to the dinner

[Dylan Dreyer]

and I had already ordered room service because I was not going to this dinner. Like it's the end of a long day, I'm tired, I don't really feel like mingling. I Ordered room service. I was in my PJs, like, just ready to stay in for the night.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And you somehow tracked down my number, like an absolute stalker.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, I went to the tournament. I said, I'm a tribe trying to invite. This is an important part of the story. I'm trying to invite Dylan Dreyer to this dinner. Can you put me in touch with one of her people? I need to let her know where the actual address is for this dinner. That was it.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So then you call and you say, listen, like, just. This dinner is incredible. Come to the dinner. It ended up being like, the best. So we're sitting there, and you're across the room. Like, we're sitting across a giant table. And you're across the room, very bad. And he's talking to me and he's like, you know, Katherine, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And like, da, da, da, da. I'm like, oh, yeah. And I answer the question. And he's like, so, Katherine, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, like, very.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Like, we're across a 30 person table.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And she's across the room. Like, you're 10ft away across this table.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes. And most people don't address you as often as you addressed me in your conversations, but you kept addressing me as Catherine. So I said, across the room, what's my name? You panic.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That eerie silence that you're hearing right now is exactly what happened in the room. So everyone is having conversations, they're drinking wine, everything is great. And then. And then she just goes, what's my name? And everyone stops and looks.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You can find my name anywhere in your brain.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Can't find it. Can't find it. And can't find it anywhere. And actually, we know now there's another woman who plays in the tournament.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes. Her name is Katherine Tappin.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And I was.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And we look similar.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes. And she was like, you're. She was like, made of.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes, she was in my wedding. Like, she's a very good friend of mine.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And I just somehow the wine. I don't know. Like, I just switch. But again, the important part is I had tracked down Dylan Dreyer's number. I didn't call Katherine Tappett. I knew your name, but in that moment, the only thing I could think to say was, you can't ask me that. Why are you asking me that? Because I'm trying now to put on a show and make a joke about it. Because I can't. It's just gone. So she laughs. Just like she's laughing now. Everyone Laughs at me. And then potentially the most awkward move that I made was, I'm leaving the restroom. I wish. She went to the bathroom, and I followed her after. And as she came out of the

[Dylan Dreyer]

restroom, standing there, and you're like, I

[Angie Customer]

know your name is.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I know your name is.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Look. And I had my phone. I was like, look, look. It says, what's Dylan Dreyer's number? What is Dylan. I need Dylan Dreyer's number. Yes. That is how we became.

[Dylan Dreyer]

But you know what? I'm. I'm naturally very shy. You know, I'm not. I'm not good at mingling in big situations. I'm like a wallflower. I kind of sit back. I'm not like. I don't go up to people and introduce myself. I don't talk to people.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Me, too.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So the fact that you don't need to. The fact that I. During that whole, like, name thing, I was able to be myself and joke and knew you wouldn't be offended. And I knew I could kind of make the joke.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

That's what clicked for me.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And we played the next day, you know, so, like, the next morning, we. We played together and had a good time. And. Yeah. Just. I mean, really started hanging out. That whole week? Yeah, that whole week. I mean, I think then I invited you and your entire family on vacation. Like, by the end of that week, I was like, what are you guys doing? Oh, it was.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah. Yeah. Because that summer we went away together.

[Commercial Narrator]

That's right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah. So, like, do you. I find it hard to make friends as an adult, you know, Like, I make friends with people I work with. But you don't work in a typical office situ. Like, besides the office. You don't work in a typical office situation where you're with the same people all the time.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So do you find it hard to make friends as an adult? Do you even care?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Your second question is actually very interesting. I mean, of course I want friends. I think what is challenging and what has been great about our relationship is really, everyone acts a certain way, becomes a different or shows a different side of yourself. I'm not talking about being fake.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Right.

[Brian Baumgartner]

With who you're with. Right. So I golf. I've got golf buddies. Right. I've got work buddies. What has been great about getting to know you is what is really difficult is finding friends for my family, like, family friends. When I was on the office for 10 years, it was very different. And we were very much a family. We were doing stuff together. But now we've all moved away and live in different cities. And now those kids are older and.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Well, that's what I think is interesting about our friendship is you live on the west coast and I'm in New York. I mean, it's not like we're neighborhood friends that we can kind of pop over and see each other every once in a while. But I feel like I have seen you more often than I see some folks who live up the street. And our kids have seen each other more often. And I don't know if it's just because you happen to come to New York a lot for work.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It feels like an unbalanced relationship, though. I don't feel like you've been out to California yet, not been out there once, which is kind of an important.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Because you're always here and it's like,

[Brian Baumgartner]

oh, just let me do it.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Take advantage of that situation.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, I'll just do it. I'll take care of all of it for you, Dylan.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And then I remember when I met your wife Celeste, like, she and I just connected right away, which I think then kind of solidifies the friendship, like the family friendships. I don't tend to be somebody who's friends with a lot of girls. I'm more of a teasey, joking, kind of like always making fun of somebody type of friend. And Celeste is the same way.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So, like, immediately we just had the same sense of humor. And it just. That also clicked so well, it feels

[Brian Baumgartner]

like your shared humor is in part making fun of me. I don't really know how I win in that whole game, but it's just so easy. Not that you can't get serious because we do have serious conversations, but you

[Dylan Dreyer]

tell me your stories, I tell you mine. You try to help me with my situations, I try to offer advice for yours, and there's just like a back and forth that happens that's like, you do talk a long time on the phone, but, I mean, it is. It is like a fun hour long conversation. And there are a lot of takeaways from it. But even the kids are like, oh, are you going to answer Brian's call right now?

[Brian Baumgartner]

What this happens?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Well, because it's around dinner time and they're like, yeah, but if you talk to him, it's going to be a long conversation. And.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, but that's the thing. That is the, the problem with the West Coast, east coast thing. I mean, I'm not saying never works out. The timing is real. Three hours are difficult. Like, by the time I'm sitting down to, like, End my day. You're asleep and you wake up early.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes. What made you invite us on vacation? I mean a week long vacation as families?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't know. I think it just. I just knew that it would work.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It's weird that it worked as well as it did. You have girls. I have boys and I have boys who literally, if they mention another girl from their class at the dinner table, they're teasing each other. You have a crush on so and so. And you have a. You know, and it's like. But there was the first meeting where they all like kind of look down at their shoes and it's like hi. Hi. And nobody says anything. And then two seconds later they were off playing hide and go seek and.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah. Like really fast.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And when you watch them play, they're all like the same kind of weird, you know, like they get each other's like weirdness. Right. Like does that. The things they're laughing at, the songs. I get stuck in my head that they made up together as a group. And like I still like, still to this day say Parmesan Walter. And it's like just a silly little thing they came up with while they were eating parmesan cheese and drinking water. Like it's. That's what I think has made it so special. But I do think it's interesting the fact that, that they only see each other a couple times a year.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And they don't have to deal with the dynamic of like the day to day.

[Brian Baumgartner]

My girls are coming to New York City to visit the city. We wanted to come but all they want to know is like when are we seeing the boys? And it's also funny, they only call. They don't. There's never hear the names of your kids. It's like, when are we seeing the boys? That's all they're like wanted the boys

[Dylan Dreyer]

and that's all they want to care about. Like so we moved out of the city so we actually have to get a hotel in the city because it's the first time we've ever done that. And it was a no brainer. It was like, well, I don't want to just see them for dinner. Like I want to hang out with them. And I mean I think we could take them to every show in New York and go to every nice restaurant. But all they really want to do is like just hang out, find a place to play.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, I guess it was just amazing instincts. Just total like nailed it. I just nailed it. Yeah. But I do think that we have struggled with finding people that both my wife and I would jive with and also that have kids. Because like, I don't know if I'm supposed to say people's name, but like the Jaskos, like, they're great. They have a nine month old. Like my kids are not, there's not going to be any right experiential increase for them going to the beach because it's a amoeba, you know, so. I know, but I think, I think

[Dylan Dreyer]

you called their baby an amoeba.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't know if I'm using that right either. I think I was trying to think of a different word.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Stay with us. We'll be right back after the break.

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[Angie Customer]

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[Brian Baumgartner]

Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff.

[Angie Customer]

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[Dylan Dreyer]

Do you ever think as our kids get older, have you seen the summer I turned pretty?

[Brian Baumgartner]

No. I mean, yes, of course not.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So it's the. Not everyone has. Okay, I haven't yet.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I haven't yet.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It's the gist of it is these kids who grew up together who then all of a sudden they turned pretty one year, right? And it's like, then the relationship triangle's set up and there's all of that because we were Eating dinner the other night, and I was talking about, you guys are back in town and everybody's gonna meet up. And there was teasing happening, like, oh, you have a crush on. You know, and it's like, no, you have a crush. No, you have a crush. And then Rusty kind of chimes in. He's like, well, nobody plays with me. And I'm like, that's not true. Everybody's playing with you. Like, I wonder, I don't know, does that cross your mind, or is that me just being a girl?

[Brian Baumgartner]

It hasn't really, or it hasn't been a concern at this point. I mean, I. Obviously, I mean, things will change. Like.

[Dylan Dreyer]

But no, but I'm like, loving this. You're sorry. I know. I know it's weird, but that's like. What? I don't know. As a mom, I think about, like, I'm always thinking about, like, the boys as they grow up, but I don't want.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't think about that. I just want to keep them just

[Dylan Dreyer]

right where they are because I want, like. And that's where I'm at. Because I love this relationship that they have. Right. And I find one of the things that works for us on vacation is. Is we have a very similar parenting style. You know, there's a lot of. We talk to our kids as if they're not kids, right? Like, we joke with them, we tease them, we let them figure things out on their own. And I think that is something that's also really special to find somebody who kind of parents the same way when

[Brian Baumgartner]

I'm not terrifying your children. I mean, that. That. I mean, that is another story.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Oh, we'll get into that.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Oh, okay, never mind. Then we'll.

[Dylan Dreyer]

When. When we went on a ski trip. I mean, ski trips are not easy. There's a lot of equipment. There's ski school, there's rental stuff. There's a lot of moving parts with gloves and hats and scar. Like, there's a lot. One thing that we were referring to before that did happen on that ski trip. Poor Ollie.

[Brian Baumgartner]

But this was not me. This is. Ali needs to buck up. I'll have a talk with him.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Ollie does need to buck up. In. In Ali's defense, your voice is booming.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I have a loud voice.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You have a loud voice. And you also. Your sarcastic voice is loud. Is loud.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And when a five year old doesn't realize you're kidding, it's terrifying.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah. Very quickly, America, across the globe, too. We were like, yeah. So the day before, alone. This is alone. Me Alone with five children, taking them to ski school. And you've got the gloves, and then they drop the gloves. You gotta have the boots and the thing. And because we were there late, we were, like, walking from a parking lot, and it was pouring down snow, and it was very bad and uncomfortable. So I said, like, hey, we gotta go earlier so we don't have to park that far and you can do the thing. And so I said, in the morning. I was like, guys, let's go. We've gotta go. I want to be out of here by whatever time. Apparently, this fright.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Well, Ollie was. Ollie loves breakfast, okay? So he's taking his sweet time eating breakfast.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And you're now yelling, we gotta go. We gotta go.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, but I wasn't saying.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I said, ollie, we have to go.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I was saying, like, guys, come on. You're killing me.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Can't miss the carpool.

[Brian Baumgartner]

You can't miss the line.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So I told Ollie, I said, take your bagel or whatever you're eating. Take it with you. Just take it with you. You can eat it in the car. It's no big deal. So he take. I convince him to do this, and he's going. And you yell again. Because now, like, still nobody's leaving. But you're like, guys, we gotta go. We gotta go. In your voice. And Ollie comes back holding his dish. And I'm like, are you all right, buddy? And he's got, like. His cheeks are shaking, and his eyes are welling up with tears. And I said, you could take that with you. And he just shakes his head like, no. He's just. He's just shaking his head. He's just shaking his head. I said, why? You could take it. He's like. I said, did Brian yell at you? He's like. And then he just, like, the what? Like, the waterworks just come out.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And I just, like, turn around the corner, and I see that, and I'm like, oh, God, no, please don't.

[Dylan Dreyer]

But you're still like, let's go, though.

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We gotta go.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Okay, now I'm gonna have a talk with him. He's got a guy. He's got a buck up.

[Dylan Dreyer]

He does have to buck up a little. But it is. It comes up every once in a while that. Well, just, you know.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Am I yelling?

[Dylan Dreyer]

The yelling. We joke now. It's a joke. He does joke.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Oh, no. I'm gonna. I'm gonna yell the first thing I see him. I'm gonna yell, ollie, come here.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I think he'll be ready for it.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Okay.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah. So One thing that comes up, I think, when traveling.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And I'm in an interesting situation, paying for things.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Because, like, even with us, there's this dynamic where you're renting a house either way, whether we come or not. And you are very generous with inviting us to come. Do you find I contribute enough, or is it a little bit? Like, you and Celeste are talking, like, so cheap.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You really don't want them coming.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, it's not that. It's always confusing because I know you're a billionaire. You work for NBC. You're on television every day. I'm the one that's unemployed in this situation. I don't know if you notice you have a publicist.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I don't.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Shout out. I know. I don't know. There's. You are very generous in your contributions. There's not any. Like, I feel like it just works out really well.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah. Again, we kind of have, like, an unwritten, like, unspoken sort of.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Dynamic when it comes to things. But if you were to give advice for people traveling together.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Like, how. How do you work that out?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't. I don't really know. I mean, I think. You know, again, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but you coming out to California might not be a bad idea with your kids.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I did send you a care package.

[Brian Baumgartner]

You did?

[Dylan Dreyer]

I don't think you've used anything in it, but I say no.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I see it.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It was a very thoughtful care package. Care package.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Very thoughtful.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It was really appreciated.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You really have to use the extra large electric griddle.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I know.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Like, take it out of the box and plug it in. I promise you breakfast will be so much easier.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Breakfast is a dream.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Pancakes, free shout out to what?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't know. Breakfast, extra large.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Extra large breakfast gets a shout out.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Breakfast griddle. I don't know.

[Dylan Dreyer]

See, now, that's the other thing. We do want to come out to California, but how do we invite ourselves?

[Brian Baumgartner]

You're invited. Yeah, we've talked about this. Don't lie to the people.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I'm not lying to the people. But, like, you could say in passing, you know.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Oh, like, oh, yeah. Hope you come out sometime. That's not how I said it.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Because we want to go out and visit.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Great.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah.

[Angie Customer]

All right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And we want you to come to our beach house, which actually, nothing. So I do think it's funny that, like, we have.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I came to your house on the beach.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I wasn't there. Oh, no, you did. That's Right. There was a time I wasn't there.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I think I've been there multiple times. Only once you were there? Yes. Yes. I didn't break. In context.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You were flying to JFK and, like, needed to go all the way out to eastern Long Island. Like, way, way out. So, like, we were kind of like a little halfway point for you to kind of just like, chill out.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, again, there's. That's the money thing. You didn't charge me rent for one night.

[Angie Advertiser]

Rent?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Not rent for six hours.

[Brian Baumgartner]

What do you call it? Hotelage?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Airbnb Air.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

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[Brian Baumgartner]

Make it quick, young man.

[Angie Advertiser]

Aw.

[Dylan Dreyer]

See?

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[Brian Baumgartner]

I think we should call a doctor.

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[Dylan Dreyer]

So one thing we like to do on this show is talk about, like, little parenting confessions. Parenting wins. Oh, boy. Is there any confession you have that, like, besides, you know, bringing my son to tears is anything? Maybe you feel a little guilty over beatings?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Beatings. Endless Beatings. I feel like it's. I'm from Georgia. It feels like it's fine.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It's just. Yeah. The way you were raised.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That's a joke.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

America confessions. Do I have any confessions of things that I do badly?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Like what? No. Well, like one of my confessions is I kind of hate the playground. I really don't like playing. Oh. I've got like imaginative play.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Really Good one. I haven't taught my girls to ride a bike.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You haven't? Can they ride a bike?

[Brian Baumgartner]

No.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Oh, they can't. It's not like somebody else taught them.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Who else is gonna do it? It's not me. Who else? Please give me their number. Give me their number.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So wait, why? You just don't feel like it?

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, it's just. I don't know. I don't know. I. I don't think about it Right. Like.

[Dylan Dreyer]

But you. They like their warm weather climate all year round.

[Brian Baumgartner]

But I don't have. I don't live in like a cul de sac. Okay, well, like, like where are people learning to ride their bike here in New York City?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Well, New York's a little different. But there's sidewalks.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, there's no sidewalks where I live.

[Dylan Dreyer]

But there's, there's streets. Like there's got to be a quiet street.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, but that requires like loading up the bike.

[Dylan Dreyer]

People in your like neighborhood are riding around.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Dude, I feel guilty about it. Why are you taught? Like, what are you.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I want to set you up for success.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I've tried. Like, I try. It's not like I've never done it. I feel horrible. Yeah, that's it. That's it. They can't, they can't write one. Yeah, I know. It's not, it's not good.

[Dylan Dreyer]

They should write about confession.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It had it.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It's not a good thing.

[Brian Baumgartner]

No, sorry. Last thing I'll say about that is something I'm proud of. They're like as you know, big water kids. So they're like. That is kind of their thing anyway, the ocean, the pools.

[Dylan Dreyer]

They're very brave in the water.

[Brian Baumgartner]

They'll do anything in the water and have. And have been in the water since they were very young.

[Dylan Dreyer]

So I don't know, like that's the trade off. But I will say the bravery your kids have in the water increased my kids bravery in the water, I'm sure because the one place we stay in the summer, there's just like a really high ledge that's really just part of a staircase that's not meant to be Jumped off of. But that's the. Like, the kids.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Only thing they want to do.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Only thing they want to do is jump off this. Like, I stood up there, and I don't like jumping off of it because it's scary. It's high.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And, you know, sure enough, within, like, five seconds, Calvin and Ollie were jumping off of it. And last summer, Rusty was determined to jump off of it. He's got the swimmies on, right? Like, he's got some protection. And I was so proud of Rusty this summer because he was. We told him exactly where to jump. There's, like, this little drain that's like a target. Right. Like, just. Everybody knows to jump near that drain because that's the safe spot. And sure enough, he did it.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I know.

[Dylan Dreyer]

And it's like. And then once he does it, like, he wouldn't stop. But, I mean, I think also being around, like, if you're girls were around, like, the boys who were riding bikes, I think then they would be more inclined to try it.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Dylan Dreyer]

You know, so I think, oh, for sure. I think kids kind of feed off each other in that way, too.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Can they. Can your boys teach them to do it, or will you?

[Dylan Dreyer]

Actually, I could.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I would love to.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Great.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I mean, done. Because I've done a weekend.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I've sent them out for a month.

[Dylan Dreyer]

It wouldn't even take that long.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Okay.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Give me two weekends.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Okay.

[Dylan Dreyer]

Yeah.

[Angie Customer]

All right.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I mean, I actually. It does hurt. And I'm not the nicest person when I'm teaching you to ride a bike, but you'll get it. And I'm also like. I don't. I'm more like.

[Commercial Narrator]

I don't know.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I guess I fall back. Yeah. I don't yell at Ollie. No. He's. He's the sweet little.

[Angie Advertiser]

I know.

[Dylan Dreyer]

He's the sweet little one. Thank you so much for hanging out with us. This is so fun.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It was great.

[Dylan Dreyer]

I feel like we talk golf all the time on these podcasts. This is the first time we got to, like, do we really talk about that? Well, that was a fun conversation. I'm glad I got to introduce you guys to the Brian that I'm friends with. And, you know, just remember, you're not going to be friends with everybody, but there are going to be people that you click with. Friendship should be easy. You should be able to be yourself so, you know, not search out those people. But those people will stumble into your life and be open to it and make some friends when you can, but don't force the situation. You know, just be you have fun, be natural. And you know those, those friendships will fall into your lap and it'll be nice and easy. So thanks so much for watching. I would love to hear some of your comments or any questions. Be sure to DM ooday parents or follow me on Instagram or continue to comment below here. Just love to hear from you. Thanks so much for watching. We'll see you next. This episode was produced by Anne Legamayo with video production by Andy Tavares. Rachel Paula Abramson is our parenting reporter. Our senior producer is Tyree Nobles. Our audio engineer is Joe Plord. Our head of audio production is Jessica Fenton. Ashley Domagola is our production manager. Sadie Bass is our supervising producer. Ariana Davis is the executive editor of the Today Show. I'm Dylan Dreyer and this has been the Parent Chat, a production of the Today Show. See you next week.

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