Work In Progress: 2018

Crazy…when Kai turns 10, the year will be 2018. Obama has made me think a lot about generations and legacy. I’m getting older and the world is changing rapidly. I wonder what Kai will know or not know.

He may not believe that when I was ten, there was no such thing as the Internet. That no one talked on cell phones and that kids his age paid 20 cents to call their parents from a pay phone. The term library card catalog may not ring a bell either. Atari, Mervyns, and Mothers animal cookies will mean nothing to him as well. Heck he won’t ever watch anything on VHS or listen to music on a cassette tape either. Hopefully my baby will be able to imagine a world without an iPod and social networking.

He might know that he is a second generation Filipino Vietnamese. Perhaps even wonder about his grandfather who was a pilot in the Viet Nam war.

He may know bits and pieces of his Vietnamese tongue and not know much of the Tagalong one.

In 2018 he may look at me to say “Mom, you’re so old school.” I may weep or laugh but look at my son with awe. Hopefully all scrapbooks , stories written, and video captured will help him understand what life was like right now.
Crazy how time flies.

Oh Boy!

It dawned on me that I don't know much at all about raising a boy. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage because I grew up as an only child and I spent most of my twenties working with girls. Truthfully, I haven't really been around baby boys.

Sometimes I watch Kai and notice how he plays rough with toys and our cat. He'll even bop me in the face by accident and tug at my hair like there's no tomorrow. Sure some of it is common to all babies but there is something to be said about the testosterone lurking in the cells of baby boys.

J, who grew up with three brothers reminds me that "Kai's a boy, he's going to be rough." Oh yeah, it's natural I guess. Still I think I need to do some reading on how to raise the other gender. How do I let him be a boy who likes to rumble and tumble but also raise him to be emotionally free? I wonder if he'll become more restless and competitive due to his gender? Or does it depend on how we raise him? Well, I'll be on the lookout for some answers. Any insight is welcomed. It's a blessing though that he's in daycare three times a week with several sweet girls.