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.

My Dad – Greatest of all

I grew up in a simple family from India. My father is in the Indian Army. Over the years that I grown and lived with him, I never realized what all he did. If you wondering about me… Well, I am Neha who is writing a blog about Social Media Marketing. You can visit this blog here. I will greatly appreciate your input.

Anyway, coming back to my Dad! Even though you will not call my Dad a famous personality but to me he needn’t be. Because it is my eyes that there is no one beyond him. As I moved to the United States for my higher studies, I realized what all he did for us. My mother has been a house wife, though I will not say that she was only in the house. She handles a lot of stuff and my dad didn’t have to worry about so much. But as I moved here I realized that life isn’t as simple as studying and giving exams. There is so much you have to handle. You have to see finances, pay bills, maintenance of the house, having a social life and for me studying along side. Now I had to be careful of remembering to pay bills and handling everything.

She handles a lot of stuff and my dad didn’t have to worry about so much. But as I moved here I realized that life isn’t as simple as studying and giving exams. There is so much you have to handle. You have to see finances, pay bills, maintenance of the house, having a social life and for me studying along side. Now I had to be careful of remembering to pay bills and handling everything.

One biggest thing I learnt from my Dad was that he never complained. As an Army Officer we had to move every 3 years or so. My mother and father had to take care of everything and we as kids would just enjoy the ride. For us it was all about checking out a new place and meeting new friends. But for my Dad, it had to be about packing and moving, finding new schools, getting admissions, buying new school uniforms, looking for new stuff for home, and so much more. But not once have I seen him complain or crib about anything. We as kids would demand so much but he would never give excuses.

Another reason for my pride on my father is his education. He had already done with bachelors in Engineering before he joined the Army from a very reputed college in India. Very soon after I was born, My grandfather passed away. Even though my father was not the eldest in the family, he did care of a lot of things including taking care of my grandmother. He did his MBA alongside. Then by the time I started with my Engineering, he planned to pursue a Master’s Degree in his expertise of Engineering (Trust me, it is not easy to clear the exam for Masters in India!). Well then, he did MBA again in another field. And I am proud to say that he scored very well in all those degrees (mostly better than me) even at this age. I am proud of how he is always ready to learn and grow.

Though everyone thinks that my father is in Army and would be a scary figure. That’s not true, he is the best among children. Though he has the discipline and has taught us to respect everyone, to greet everyone equally, be punctual, be disciplined and be well dressed. The etiquette he has passed on to us are our precious gifts. Now we know that all the scoldings and arguments meant something for us to learn from.

He has always been there for me and now that I have this platform to voice my thoughts, I am saying it- I am proud to be your daughter. I know what you have done for me and I will never forget the sacrifices you have made for us! I will definitely make you proud one day!

Here’s a good read.

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