They Call Us Bruce - Episode 92: They Call Us Pandemic Parents

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

Greetings from Quarantine, USA. On this episode, we welcome Stephen Dypiangco, co-founder of Dadventures, and Theresa Kim Yang, educator and literary coach (and wife of Gene Luen Yang). We discuss parenting through the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to find normalcy while everything is definitely not normal.

French dad explains Paris terror attacks to young son

"They might have guns, but we have flowers."



If you haven't already seen this, here's a video that's been melting hearts around the world. How do you explain to a kid what happened in Paris? How do you explain that there are bad things in the world? And how do you explain that everything's going to be okay? Here's a dad who really seems to be doing it right.

In this video gone viral, a French dad movingly explains the Paris terror attacks to his young son. Standing outside the Bataclan theatre, where thousands have left floral tributes to the victims, dad comforts the boy and assures him not to be afraid of the "bad guys" with guns.

We see the kid come to the realization that perhaps love is the only protection he'll ever need. Just watch:

6-year-old drops knowledge on her divorced parents

"If I can be nice, I think all of us can be nice too."



Meet Tiana, the wise little 6-year-old girl whose sage, adorable relationship advice has gone viral. In this video, she sits on the stairs and gives a touching little lecture -- with lots of heartfelt gesturing -- imploring her divorced parents to try to get along and be friends. Tiana's mother, Cherish Sherry, was moved by her conviction and shared the video on Facebook last week. It has since been viewed and shared millions of times.

"Mom, are you ready to be his friend?" Tiana starts.

Mother arrested for leaving child unattended in hot van

Police officer smashes car window to rescue young girl in Costco parking lot.



You'd think people would understand this by now. Parents and caregivers, do not leave children unattended in cars, even for the quickest errands. This week in New Jersey, a mother was arrested after leaving her young daughter unattended inside her parked minivan while she went shopping at Cosctco.

Cop rescues young child from hot van, mom charged with endangerment

On Thursday in Hackensack, a Bergen County Sheriff's officer smashed a van window to rescue a 2-year-old girl from inside a locked car parked in a Costco parking lot. According to witnesses, the child was "sweat-soaked" and crying profusely. The officer estimated it was at least 80 degrees in the van.

The child's mother, Chaeyoung Lim-Kim, returned with her shopping cart to find a crowd gathered around her car and her daughter in the arms of a sheriff's officer. She was charged with child endangerment.

Asians! Have you told your parents "I love you"?

Video captures Asian parents reacting to kids saying "I love" -- some for the first time.



If you've read or even heard of Lac Su's heartwrenching memoir I Love Yous Are For White People, you know that the title is pitch-perfect on multiple levels. Perhaps as a fellow child of Asian immigrants you can relate -- our parents are not always the most verbally expressive when it comes to love. Getting a simple "I love you" uttered between you might be a rare moment. It's often shown in other ways.

Anyone else feeling this? Then you might want to watch this. In this video by Steven Lim, several young Asian Americans call up their parents to tell them "I love you" -- some, for the very first time. It's really sweet:

Couple arrested for leaving 3-year-old in hot car

Daughter left unattended in 104-degree van outside shopping mall



Lots of folks passing along this news out of Southern California, where a couple faces child endangerment charges after allegedly leaving their 3-year-old daughter inside a hot parked car outside an Orange County shopping mall.

Orange County Parents Accused of Leaving 3-Year-Old in Hot Car

Police were called when witnesses spotted a small child alone inside a locked vehicle parked outside the Brea Mall on Sunday afternoon. Officers showed the girl how to unlock the doors. According to police, the outside temperature was 91 degrees, while the temperature inside the van was 104 degrees. Thankfully, she was okay.

The parents, 33-year-old Ho Kim and 35-year-old Tae Kim, were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment.

Research Study: Second Generation Parents and Education

Seeking second generation Chinese and Korean American parents

Here's an interesting research study that could use your help...

I recently heard from my friend Julie Park, assistant professor of education at the University of Maryland, who is looking for research participants in the DC/Maryland/Virginia or Los Angeles/Orange County area to participate in a study on second generation Korean and Chinese American parents and their approach to education and child-rearing for their "third gen" children.

Here are some more details on the study and who is eligible to participate: