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TI: Yeah, so this is a good point to ask, what was your father like? If you had to describe sort of his personality, how would you describe him?

MT: He was a man of few words. He didn't say very much, but I think through his actions you can tell, or sometimes he didn't need words to say. But he was... he was someone who really believed in doing his part to help whatever, wherever help was needed. So that's the reason why he participated, but he wasn't a go-getter, a real outgoing personality, so I think it was kind of difficult for him, but he did whatever he could.

TI: And so same question about your mother. How would you describe your mother?

MT: She was more open, a very caring person. And, well, being my mother, the relationship is a little different than with a father.

TI: So describe that. When you say it's different with your mother versus your father, I think I know what you mean, but can you explain that a little bit more?

MT: Well, like I said, he wasn't really open, so sometimes you want to say something but you don't know if you should, whereas with my mother, I could, because I know that she would not react differently or wrongly or whatever. [Laughs]

TI: So you could be more open with your mother.

MT: Yeah.

TI: Now, if one of the children did something that they weren't supposed to, who in the family, your mother or father, who would be the disciplinarian?

MT: If it were something that was serious, it was my father. [Laughs]

TI: And what would he do, what would happen?

MT: Well, it would all depend. I don't remember what my crime was. [Laughs] But I ended up in the horse barn.

TI: So would he be just really stern with you?

MT: Yes.

TI: Essentially direct you to the horse barn?

MT: Yeah, I remember that.

TI: And how long would you have to kind of be in the horse barn before you could come back?

MT: Well, I think I was in there for quite a long time, but eventually I think my mother came to get me.

TI: So quite a long time, like an hour?

MT: Yeah, I don't even remember how old I was, but that kind of left an impression on me. [Laughs]

TI: Yeah, it sounds more harsh, but I know they call it, like, time out, where you give a child a time out, but this sounds a little more harsh than a time out to the horse barn.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2016 Densho. All Rights Reserved.