Dear friend,
What a monumental week for Asian Americans. Seeing Chloe Kim, Nathan Chen, and Eileen Gu win gold at the Winter Olympics really hit home for me on multiple levels.
I feel so much pride and joy for these all these athletes and their families, including all the ones who didn't bring home a medal. What an unbelievable accomplishment just to make it to the Olympics. Min Jin Lee put it perfectly:
In a past life, being an athlete was almost all that I knew. I trained six days a week for 49 weeks of the year for fencing, and was fortunate enough to compete for the US in seven world cups and earn eight national medals.
Looking back, I am in complete awe of not just how many struggles I had to go through, but also how many sacrifices my parents had to make in order to support me.
1. 👨👩👧👦 Behind Every Great Athlete Is an Extraordinary Parent
It was truly heartwarming to see Nathan Chen pay a tribute to his mother, honoring all the long hours she had to drive to bring him to and from practice, and how she served as his coach when they didn't have the funds to support coaching.
Watching Chloe Kim's new film brought tears to my eyes. It's a love letter to her parents, showcasing her childhood videos—learning to skate and snowboard, and having her father always there supporting her through every injury, disappointment, and lesson.
I'm so inspired by Eileen Gu's mom, who raised her as a single parent, spending eight hours driving her to and from skiing parks every weekend and during school holidays over the past decade.
Last year, I wrote an essay dedicated to my father, who's love language is being the family driver. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the thousands of times he's driven me to fencing practice, tournaments, school, events, errands, long-distance trips, and more.
I am forever grateful.
2. 💬 Question of the Week (in 7 languages)
English:
What kind of advice would you give to all parents?
Simplified Chinese:
你有什么建议给所有的家长？
Nǐ yǒu shénme jiànyì gěi suǒyǒu de jiāzhǎng?
Traditional Chinese:
你有什麼建議給所有的家長？
Nǐ yǒu shénme jiànyì gěi suǒyǒu de jiāzhǎng?
Vietnamese:
____ có lời khuyên nào dành cho các ba mẹ khác không?
Spanish:
¿Qué consejo le daría a todos los padres? (Formal)
¿Qué consejo le darías a todos los padres? (Informal)
Korean:
세상의 부모님들께 어떤 조언을 하고 싶으세요?
sesangui bumonimdeulkke eotteon joeoneul hago sipeuseyo?
Filipino/Tagalog:
Ano pong payo ang maibibigay ninyo sa lahat ng mga magulang?
3. ▶️ Want to hear my mom's answer?
I interviewed her a while back asking "What kind of advice would you give to all parents?" and this is a video of her response in Chinese.
Thank you, Mom & Dad, for everything.
With love,
Joseph Lam