(upbeat music)
- Hey I'm Kane.
I have an awesome mom
and you might have seen her in a few videos in the past.
- You like it?
- I love here and apparently so do some of you.
(loud popping)
My parents are getting older
and even though I have a good relationship with my mom
she's always see me as her youngest child
because of that I've never had
a super deep conversation with her.
So while my parents are still here and happy and healthy
I want to make sure I get to know them as much as I can.
So I looked up a bunch of articles and questions
from different web sites and I compiled a few key questions
that I have personally never ask my mom.
- Okay mom.
- Yes.
- Welcome, hello.
- I didn't tell my mom
what questions I was going to ask her.
It's going to be a surprise for the both of us
what answers I'm going to get back.
First question.
- You might have seen how my mom and dad react to each other
and this is how they have been my whole life.
- They've been together for 40 years.
Growing up, probably seeing my parents argue
maybe three times a year.
That really informed a lot of how I view relationships now.
There are so many people that have said
the way Kane's dad looks at Kane's mom.
They definitely make each other better people.
- So being born in America I've always had trouble
fully understanding the scope of what it means
to grow up in a war-torn country.
Only a few months ago did I sit down with my dad
and ask him a few questions about how he grew up.
He casually just mentioned the fact that
he had a sibling die while at home
because the building was attacked.
For me at least I grew up pretty privileged.
All I have to care about was school,
figuring out my passion and dreams.
My parents were trying to figure out
how to protect their family and trying to survive.
- My mom was only able to get
elementary, middle school education back in Vietnam.
A few years ago my mom finally had a chance
to take classes and go to school.
I had never see my mom with like a light in your eye
as much as when she got to go to Community College.
She felt really proud and I felt really proud of her.
- I am so thankful that they made the sacrifice
to come to a country where they didn't know
the language, didn't have a community
that they could lean on
and they made a work for their kids.
- I can't even imagine raising one kid
but raising nine children in Vietnam during the war.
It makes sense what my mom was saying
that she just was focused on keeping her kids alive.
Mom (speaking foreign language)
- Hearing this was probably one of the saddest things
because I know that my mom would have been
a kick-ass real estate agent.
I have the privilege of always trying to live
my life without regrets.
That's only possible because
what my parents have given up.
Does make me sad
because she did spend that time
taking care of us at home instead.
I have memories of them collecting soda cans from trash cans
when I was younger.
My dad working two or three jobs.
Everything from like restaurant to gardening,
delivering pizza, mechanic.
(speaking a foreign language)
my sister is a real estate agent.
What age were you the most happy?
Like everything is awesome.
- I was almost a 100% sure that my mom
was going to say Chinese New Year.
In this interview I've learned how much my mom
values just happiness.
Even the expression of happiness.
We do have epic Christmas and Thanksgiving family parties
where we all go to my grandma's place.
Everyone brings a giant dish
anywhere from like egg rolls and noodles
to like KFC chicken.
We just eat and chat
and my aunts would be cutting coupons
for the next days discount.
- I've never actually seen her get a lottery ticket
but who doesn't want the option to retire.
I think what I didn't realize was how much
they wanted to and are waiting to retire.
- I didn't realize how much my mom
hesitated to plan future enjoyment experiences.
I think she's just not used to planning that for herself.
One small moment that I remember when I was younger
my mom made me this dish with rice and meat and veggies.
I ate it and I was full and it was good.
I thought my mom would just make more for herself
but instead she took my leftover rice
and poured tea into it and ate that.
As an adult looking back I realize
that my dad was working
as a pizza delivery man at the time
our family was probably struggling financially
and my parents just always shielded me from it.
- When I was younger she used to have plants
and point them out and be like hey look at my plants.
And I'd be like oh cool.
Now as an adult I realize how hard it is
to take care of a living plant.
Now going home see my mom
make these cool animal configurations
I'm like how do you even do that mom.
- It has literally never occurred to me
that my mom who is mostly Chinese.
I'm 93% Chinese, my mom has never been to China.
- If that's something that she wants
I need to take her.
She definitely deserves it.
- I feel like I have a lot to show my parents now
that's outside of what they used of just work
and I'm looking forward to doing that
with my mom and my dad.
I owe everything to her and she deserves it.
- He say, "Bye, bye.
"What you say mom?
"Look mom."
Like that.
(upbeat music)
- Do you think they want to take the time to listen?
- I have no idea, we'll see.
(upbeat music)