If your child doesn’t like having their photo taken (a common complaint among avid shutterbug parents), Halloween is a temporary cure.

Ariana either doesn’t care, or is incapable of expressing objection. Austin is usually OK with having his picture taken, as long as it’s a cool idea…. or if he’s wearing all black.

Nothing comes from nothing,
Nothing ever could,
So somewhere in my youth or childhood,
I must have done something good.

-Rodgers and Hammerstein, Something Good

On August 7th, 2007, my life changed as dramatically and as suddenly as it ever has. I became the father of the most beautiful baby girl in the whole wide world. I call her my “truest of true loves.”

I started this site to share my adventures in parenting. I don’t pretend to be the perfect father. My goal is to be more effective, not to be perfect. The more involved you are, the more mistakes you will make. An elite quarterback fumbles the ball a lot. The richest people in the world were broke at one point in their lives. The road to success is littered with failures. You’ll only make one big mistake if you just sit there and do nothing.

Who am I? My name is Elliott Kim. The best possible way to annoy me is to call me “Kim.” My first name is Elliott.

A last name like Kim indicates that I’m of Korean descent. I knew so many other Asian people growing up – my mother, father, and two sisters. Davie, Florida isn’t exactly the epicenter of Asian culture in America.

I don’t reject my Asian heritage. A second-generation Korean-American growing up in a western-themed horseback riding community with a rodeo arena just doesn’t have the opportunity to embrace karaoke and kimchee. People have accused me of being in whitewashed denial. I only care about being true to myself. Yes, it is unfortunate, that I no longer speak my parents’ native language, but I can cuss you out in Spanish and Italian. (Just don’t ask me to carry on a real conversation).

I suck at math and I don’t know karate. (Okay, fine, I earned a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I do well enough with math in the real world.) I’m about as white as you can get, except I don’t sunburn easily. The biggest playlist I have in iTunes is called “Truck Stop Jukebox.” People like me are sometimes called Twinkies, Bananas, or whitewashed.

My wife Renee is from Texas by way of Tennessee. Her roots are very white, very Anglo-Saxon, and very Protestant. She was always the “city slicker” cousin to her relatives. Her son from a previous marriage is just as white. However, he is obsessed with Japanese anime, he’s an accomplished martial artist, and math is his best subject in school. Our daughter’s family tree runs through disparate territories like South Korea and South Oklahoma.

We also share our home with three of the most advanced predators in the animal kingdom. James, Boo, and Portnoy ensure no lizard will ever encroach upon our domicile. Other than dismembering small reptiles, they enjoy dry meat cereal, chasing the laser pointer, and general mischief. They provide hours of entertainment.

You can get to know me better through my other blog, ReneeAndElliott.com. That’s the fun, meandering off-topic blog about our lives.