As Kai’s wicked father, I will make sure Kai does his fair share of sweeping, cleaning, and taking care of household duties as he gets older. He shall not be spoiled like his father, who did not have to do any chores growing up, leading I’m sure to some heavy sibling resentment over the years culminating in presently estranged relationships. It’s the people that are closest to you in the life that can end up hurting you the most, I’ve realized.
Growing up in an Asian household meant no apologies were ever given out for misdeeds. Whenever my siblings and I argued, the victim often would retreat into a closet angrily – the rest of us slipping notes under the door to try to remedy the situation. I suppose as an adult, there’s no equivalent way of doing this now. As an AMERICAN, I will make sure Kai emulates the American families on television, that often apologize for their mistakes and say sorry when mistakes are made.
All I can really hope for is for Kai to continue to grow and improve in this world. Though I’m worried about his eating habits mostly, he is able to kind of communicate now and I am able to at least get him to sit in a chair to eat (whenever he is starving). Of course, old habits still continue if I truly want him to be full for the rest of the night – but we will get there in time.
Just like I have to be flexible with my strategies in my management and treatment of different students over the years (and I’ve taught thousands), I will have to constantly adjust in order to meet Kai where he is at. And with one week of break left before school starts, I hope I can maximize my remaining days of 24/7 fatherhood with him.
