It's wonderful to have a newborn at Christmas time. So far Luke has been the baby Kaddi and I always knew would could make. He eats well, he sleeps well, and when he's awake he's usually content sit back and take in the scenery. His temper does flare up a little when he feels he's not being fed on time - you don't want to be in the way of his tiny fists of fury when that happens. It's amazing how manages to stay so balanced. Christmas can be a very stressful time for babies. I read somewhere that hiccuping goes up 25% during the holidays.
We've resolved to enjoy these simple times because we know that his youth and adolescence are going to be much more complicated. Since Luke is a native Hawaiian, we will face serious cultural and ethnic challenges as we try to incorporate him into our family of mainlanders. Some of you have already remarked on how his golden skin doesn't match the pasty complexions of our other children. As Luke becomes a teenager he will no doubt have many questions about his Polynesian ancestry and heritage. We may even decide to enroll him in a Hawaiian immersion program if he's interested in re-capturing his indigenous language and dances. Most of all, I worry about his reaction to the history of his people. How will he handle it when he learns that my ancestors stole the land of his ancestors and turned the islands of his birth into one giant military base? Who will show him how to make tapa? Who will tell him the great tales of the first peoples arriving from Bora Bora? What if he hates hockey? I think I need to seek out the advice of other multi-cultural families. There are so many questions to answer.
Fortunately, I have the pleasanties of the season to distract me from these weightier matters. We went to two Christmas programs for the kids this week - one at the elementary school and one at the university. I thought they would be regular Christmas programs full of children's songs, but the second was actually an extravanganza of Polynesian culture. Meg and her friend even had a 'solo' in one part of their song. It was so entertaining and education I decided to put together a small highlight reel of the week's festivities.
I may need it in a few years when Luke is asking me to teach him the Haka.
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