Giving Thanks for Our Families
My grandson lives between two countries; the United States and Japan. His mom works full time in the United States while his dad works full time in Japan. The value of having parents in two countries is that my grandson is able to live and appreciate his cultural heritage as a descendent of the Japanese culture and a fifth generation American.
Favorite Activities in Japan
When my grandson visits his father in Japan, he enjoys:
- going to baseball games
- playing at amusement parks
- visiting indoor children’s discovery museums
- exercising at indoor gymnastics activity centers
- attending entertainment centers
Family Comes First
When I completed my first trip with my grandson in Japan, friends and family would ask about his favorite activity when visiting his dad. Without hesitation, my grandson responded that he loved just spending time with his dad. It did not matter what activity they were pursuing; he just valued the one-on-one time of being with his father.
As we enter the holiday season, we must consider how important our family members are when planning for holiday celebrations and the importance of time for sharing.
May you family have time to share in the beauty of the season!
Joyce
Copyright © 2019 by GenParenting
Joyce Iwasaki has over thirty years of educational experience working with diverse students in grades from preschool through high school. Joyce’s extensive background includes teaching elementary school, serving on early childhood advisory boards, and advocating for educational initiatives as a legislative aide. During her tenure as a legislative aide, she helped create legislation that allowed incarcerated mothers to keep their newborn babies with them while in prison. Additional legislation was enacted to allow incarcerated pregnant mothers to remain unshackled during labor and delivery. Ms. Iwasaki established and served as the president of an educational scholarship foundation for fifteen years. Her foundation awarded college scholarships to emerging student leaders who provided service to their schools and communities. Joyce is active in performing arts and cultural organizations. She also provides ongoing support to her daughter and family by raising her grandson in her home.