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.

I am just two years old and I have already come upon a great mystery.

If Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, then why did I see my mommy crying? And was my daddy’s eyes watering up, too?

I don’t get it.

There we were, minding our own business, being pushed around by people holding ice cream cones with ears and turkey legs the size of Dumbo’s nose.

There were more people in line than I usually see in church. Daddy says that’s a shame.

A boat was waiting to take us into the mouth of a giant animal. (And to think they wonder why we kids cry at the happiest place on Earth, too).

I vaguely remember my daddy telling me the story of a person who got in one of these boats and it wouldn’t move…sunk down so low it bottomed out. Whew! We were good.

Little people, no bigger than me, some I recognized (Lilo and Stitch!), most I didn’t. All of them singing the same song but in languages that tickled my ears but only a few of which I understood. How fun! How fun!

Laughter, singing, children, smiles, dancing, holding hands, swinging, spinning,…all together in unison. And the colors!

Mommy said she was over a whale and that’s why she cried…tears of happiness. (Editor: overwhelmed).

Daddy said the whole trip reminded him of the Tower of Bottle. He said that God may not have spread the people of the world out to separate them, but rather to teach the world that the way to bring us back together again was not by speaking the same language but rather when we all have the same love and joy in our hearts. It made sense to me somehow (Editor: Tower of Babel)

Disneyland! The happiest place on earth indeed. And the world really is a small, small world when we, my mommy, daddy and me, come together with tears of fun.

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