Welcome to Milkweed and Monarchs. I’m Dawn Klem, and today, I take you back to a childhood moment that shaped my imagination and curiosity in unexpected ways.

Growing up in Hillsdale, Michigan, I was surrounded by stories—ones my mother read to me, ones I saw on television, and ones I created in my own mind. Two stories in particular stuck with me: The Princess and the Pea and Family Affair. One was a fairy tale about proving royalty, the other a show about an uncle raising his nieces and nephew. Somehow, my young mind wove them together into a grand experiment—one that involved grape seeds, badminton shoes, and a secret test to confirm whether my father was truly my father.

This episode is about childhood wonder, the power of storytelling, and the hilarious lengths I went to in pursuit of answers. Join me as I recount the details of my experiment, the anticipation leading up to it, and the moment my dad unknowingly validated my theory—proving, in his own way, that he was exactly who I thought he was.

Let’s dive into the world of childhood imagination and the unexpected ways in which stories shape our understanding of the world.