Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.

Isn’t it a great feeling to see your kids grow into doctors, engineers, army men, navy men?? Indeed..This is when all your dreams as a parent come true. All dads crave to see their kids in honorable positions in a decent point in their lives.

The truth of the matter however is, that this is not an easy task. All parents go through numerous hardships to help their kids grow into successful human beings. Three top things that they do accomplish this are:

1- Slow down, do less. Some things are just not that important to fill up parents’ days. It’s OK if the laundry sits in the dryer a little longer, the dishes don’t get immediately washed, and the house isn’t perfectly picked up. It is important to make room for personal “Parent (mom/dad)” time, i.e., …exercise, enjoy a hobby, or play with the kids.

2-Prioritize my “Daily To Do” lists. What do I really need to do today? Where do I want or need to go such as my daughter’s soccer banquet? What time? Learn that it’s OK to politely say, ”No” to family and friends if things don’t fit into my schedule.

3- Celebrate Golden Moments.  Take time to recognize those precious Golden Moments with smiles, hugs, kisses, positive words, high fives, text messages, Facebook comments, emails or letters through snail mail.

So what is a Golden Moment? A Golden Moment could be when someone does a random act of kindness, aces a test, gets good grades, shows effort in school or sports, or displays great sportsmanship and leadership skills. It’s letting people know they did something extraordinary.

But the best Golden Moment? It’s the mental high five you give yourself–as a parent or a coach– for taking the time to make a difference.

All these, as a matter of fact, help in one way or the other. Kids, in return feel special when parents take out time and make room to accomplish things together at home. They feel valued when parents get involved in little activities with them, value any suggestions they have to give. This way they feel closely knitted and strive to do something in return.

This is when they put in 100% of their efforts to be something in life. Study hard, respect the knowledge they receive and follow some valued professions in life that do their parents proud. These are the dads that feel excellent to have given birth to such hardworking souls.

Talk to Bill and others about their experiences raising bi-cultural Japanese-American kids.