My Hero

This video has been making the rounds on social media, but it begs repeating…

This kid. Can you even handle it? Adorable and aMAZing!

More amazing even than Bruce Lee, himself, imo. I love this little five year old from Japan’s obvious dedication to his hero.

If you think Bruce Lee is famous here, you should see China. A national hero, his likeness all over public airports, food chains, and more. And for good reason…

Frankly, it’s not easy to find Asian features in pop culture. I loved Korea-born John Cho’s portrayal of Sulu in the latest installments of Star Trek. I geeked out upon learning that the newest Terminator, from the film due in theaters this July, will be Asian. Growing up with an endless assortment of empowering figures to aspire to, who looked just like me, I never realized how important this was until becoming Little Man’s Mommy.

We are big fans of creative, imaginative play in our home. We actively encourage our kiddos to dress up and make believe. (Enter key word “mermaid” into the search feature on this site, if you don’t believe me.)

And while it doesn’t matter to me if Little Man chooses Captain America, Wolverine, or even Gandalf*, it’s a blessing to have a powerful hero –who resembles him- to look up to. We hope to instill in our son a pride in his birth culture and heritage, and to feel confident in his own beautiful skin Asian-American skin.

I see a pair of nun-chucks and yellow jammies in his future.

* if you don’t know these references, I’m not sure we can be friends.