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.

Dad is my best friend

Being a dad is not an easy task . It’s one of the biggest responsibility ever been taken and adjudged in a good way . It requires a lot of patience and even experience too, not like we all have been a dad before, but we all had the experience with our own dads. We all grew up with the love and affection that he had showered us his whole life. Clearly, I’m not a dad, nor will I ever know what it’s like being one. However, I do happen to know what it feels like when a dad takes time to “Be a Dad” to his child. Let me share what I mean.

My dad was always there for me, through good times and bad. And through all the trouble I got in, again and again during my teenage years, he was still there, being a dad. I used to be a big headache for my whole childhood times. I used to mess up thing and still do the same, but till date his teaching is there to let go on in life and move ahead.

While he bailed me out of my troubles he always made it a point to remind me of his expectations with love. So, at times, amidst what may have seemed like letting me get away with something, a lesson was learned. A challenge was always given for me to “show myself trustworthy,” and I would be trusted. If I kept demonstrating the same poor behavior, trust could not be built. And it was through trust, that he would be willing to give me more responsibility in the future. Here today I stand understanding those responsibilities and am still not complete without him.

I believe it was these key learning moments as I was growing up that impacted me most. I’m older and married now, and my dad is still there for me, being a dad, helping and encouraging me when needed. Still today he lets me do things my way having faith on me and making me understand the same old ways he used to if I fail in doing things today.I can’t help but wonder if he and I could have rebuilt trust – and more importantly, if rebuilding trust would have been as important to me – had he not handled those teachable moments the way he did. Those teachings had changed my way of looking at things and make me understand life in different moods.

Thus, I encourage all dads to Be a Dad even through life’s ups and downs. But most importantly, Be a Dad who makes the downs count. Your children will remember you as their dads if also you do or do not but all it makes a difference when the time comes and they grow up without you.

The past few weeks have passed written about various kinds of dads, their roles, their importance in the upbringing  of their child and many more. Will try to find all new topics about dad and write them in a single place so as to have something important for every reader and please their minds. Till then stay tuned for more.

Thank you for reading.

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