John Mellencamp's granddaughter was excited about the birthday gift she received from her grandfather this year — even though it's technically the same gift she receives every year. John's daughter Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave recently spoke to People about her dad's birthday gift giving habits. The musician, 73, gives his children and grandchildren money every year, but the amount of money he gives them is dependent on their age that year.
Explaining her dad's birthday gift tradition to People, Teddi said, "My dad's tradition is that our birthday present every year is that he pays you in the amount of dollars that you are."
This year, John Mellencamp gave Teddi $43 since she turned 43. Sometimes, she adopts the same tradition when picking out a gift for her dad — and now that he's getting older, the gift is getting more expensive.
"I do it sometimes back to him, and now that he's getting up there, it's pretty pricey," Teddi told People.
John Mellencamp just celebrated his 73rd birthday on October 7, 2024, just a day after one of his grandchildren celebrated her 12th birthday.
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Teddi's daughter, Slate, who celebrated her 12th birthday on October 6, was "very excited that she was 12 this year, because she got $12," Teddi explained to People.
Though their birthday gifts from the rock star are predictable, Teddi previously revealed that her dad surprised her with an unexpected Easter gift one year.
In 2022, John gave Teddi and her family parakeets for Easter. While Teddi referred to the gift as "the Easter surprise I never wanted or asked for," she admitted that "the kids love them."
Teddi is mom to Slate, Cruz, 10, and Dove, 4. She is also stepmom to her husband Edwin Arroyave's daughter Isabella, 15.
The parakeets were definitely unexpected, but John had a reason for giving them to his daughter as a gift: he had been feeling "guilty" because their family had parakeets when Teddi and her siblings were children, but one day, John "let them go."
"He said he's been feeling guilty about it all these years. So that's why he decided to surprise us with them on Easter," Teddi said.
