Thread by @AndyKimNJ

My boy graduated kindergarten! Best #FathersDay gift. I’m overwhelmed. Perhaps fitting his class sang Bob Marley.“Don’t worry about a thing. Cause every little thing gonna be all right”. Raising kids during this crazy time I think I needed to hear that. Still I do worry…THREAD

I feel deep uncertainty about the world my son is growing up in. Our struggling democracy, climatechange, hate against AsianAmericans or anyone for that matter. That’s what comes to mind when I think of the future. But then I heard my son talk about his vision for the future…2/8

During the graduation, there was a sweet part where the kids took turns talking about their dream jobs. My son walked up and said “Hi…when I grow up I want to be a soccer player.” I never saw him in front of a crowd with that kind of confidence (and holding a microphone!) 3/8

During his first Christmas performance he cried and ran offstage. Not this time. He showed me that he sees a bright world of possibilities. Spending a quarter of his life in a pandemic lockdown where he was told to stay away from people including grandparents didn’t ruin that.4/8

Graduation is a tradition meant to distinguish moments in our lives from others. We think of life in stages that we progress through. As I watch my son reach milestones, I think of my own. I remember more about my son’s kindergarten graduation than I do my own years ago. 5/8

I think of what my parents must have worried about back then. Raising a kid during the Cold War without much money in the bank. As immigrants, they had no other family in America to fall back on. What went through their minds when they saw me graduate from kindergarten? 6/8

Now my own Dad sits next to me as we watch my son graduate. Three generations of my family. We are not without worry. And honestly, not everything will be all right at all times. We have real challenges ahead. But we can take time to savor these sweet moments of pure bliss.7/8

So today on Father’s Day, I Rise up this morning
Smiled with the rising sun
Wishing happy Father’s Day to all!
This is my message to you-ou-ou (END)