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Title: Nick Nagatani Interview II
Narrator: Nick Nagatani
Interviewer: Brian Niiya
Location: Culver City, California
Date: June 27, 2023
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-540-14

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BN: I did want to go back and ask one question about family. I try not to ask too much about people's kids and stuff, they can tell their own story. But one thing I did want to ask you is, growing up as you did, with your parents, how did you as a parent do things similarly or differently from how you were raised, whether consciously or unconsciously?

NN: Well, I had reverent fear of my father. I mean, to his credit, he never laid a hand on me, but I had that reverent fear, and a lot of it was respect. With my kids, I was more friendly, but not to an extent where we were buddies. But we had a good enough relationship where if I saw something that needed, what I thought needed correction, that I would have that talk with them. But to their credit, that I rarely didn't have to have, I never had to have a talk with my oldest one, Brett. And I think with my youngest, Sean, there was a few times. And a lot of it, too, was given credit to their mom, because she spent more time with them. And I have a daughter, and she has some disabilities, so Remy was, I think was, I still am very protective of Remy, that I think overall, that we have a pretty tight bond, a family bond where there's no issues or underlying issues of things that would get in the way of a loving relationship. And honestly, my wife Wendy has more to do with that than me, obviously, because both the boys, to this day, still maybe call her up, I mean, Brett daily, he's now living in Torrance, and then call in, every time he's on his way home from work, just to kill that driving time. And Remy comes home whenever... it was kind of hard through the pandemic, she's at a group home, but she will be home more lately now. So I don't know if that answers your question, but as a family, I think we're pretty close.

BN: In ways probably that are different than your growing up, the family growing up.

NN: Yes. Well, one thing, like my family was at... my mom raised us, and my dad just brought home the bacon. And like my dad was so into my mother, that, I mean, he loved us, but not like he loved my mom at all. But he took care of us and did all the basic necessities, but, I mean, I know he could hardly wait until we grew up and got out of the house so it was just, them two to be together. And I know my mom didn't like to be suffocated like that, but so be it.

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