Apolo and Yuki

[laura6]

susie said:

Sara, it's possible that she was 18 when they married, and she might have been nearly 19 when Apolo came along. I don't know the particulars.

There was a sixteen-and-a-half year age difference between my dad and my mom, so large age differences don't seem so strange to me. My parents actually had a very good marriage, although I think my dad protected and sheltered my mom a little too much. My mom told me that when my dad first met her, his first reaction (he thought this to himself) was, "She's too young!" I guess they both got past that, lol. My mom told me that the hardest part was getting used to his friends...since they were older, they tended to have different interests.

My best guess is that Apolo's mom just wasn't emotionally ready to be a wife and mother. Some women are ready at 18...but probably most are not. I personally can't see ever abandoning your child, though.

yes it sad and difficult but it does happen..I cannot imagine doing it.

[August]

One look into those sweet little hazel eyes and I'd have kept him even if it meant grabbing him and running to another country, but that's me. God knows what was going on with this girl. Apolo may not even know it all, because parents often tell their kids stuff on a need-to-know basis. No telling what she thinks even now. Did she watch them place those medals around his neck, aching because she couldn't shout "That's my baby!", or did she not give two monkeys about it either time? Really no way for us to know yet. We may never.

[laura6]

he was the most adorable baby!!!

[billiey36]

"I can't get past Yuki's attraction to teenage girls."

He was a teenager himself when his first son was born. You can hardly blame him for being attracted to teenage girls then. Of course, we don't know how old that woman was. Maybe she was older than him. And he was 28 when Apolo was born, not 30+. The 10-year difference isn't all that uncommon.

Whatever happened when he was younger, he settled down and did his job as a father when Apolo came along. He had to be the adult then, and it looks like he was.

I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around. But I'm equally sure no one thinks Apolo was a mistake.

[Bella]

Hard to make any kind of firm judgement without all the facts. So many single parent families in this country end up in far worse shape than Apolo and Yuki. There's is a success story and I think they set a wonderful example of how to navigate through the tough times and end up in a place of love and mutual respect.

[billiey36]

I am the same age as Yuki and my daughter is the same age as Apolo. I am a single mom and my daughter is an only child.

My daughter is healthy, happy, and getting married to a wonderful guy in one week. Yes, she wondered where her father was once in awhile, but she got over it. She decided he was the one with the problem, not her. Oh, did I say she is also smart?

She knows that a two parent household is the norm, but not the only way to raise a child. Whenever a teacher spouted statistics about the children of single parents, she jumped in and pointed out everything that was good about it. They couldn't argue with her. She was in advanced classes and got a free ride to one of the best colleges in the nation.

Nobody needs to jump in here and commiserate with how difficult it must have been. It wasn't. It was the best thing I've ever done and I loved every minute of it. Love makes up for the lack of anything else. Nothing makes up for the lack of love. My daughter had it good and she knows it.

It looks like Apolo did, too, and if you saw that wonderful Father's Day special on TV, then you know he appreciates it as well.

[sara]

billiey36 said:

"I can't get past Yuki's attraction to teenage girls."

He was a teenager himself when his first son was born. You can hardly blame him for being attracted to teenage girls then. Of course, we don't know how old that woman was. Maybe she was older than him. And he was 28 when Apolo was born, not 30+. The 10-year difference isn't all that uncommon.

Whatever happened when he was younger, he settled down and did his job as a father when Apolo came along. He had to be the adult then, and it looks like he was.

I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around. But I'm equally sure no one thinks Apolo was a mistake.

Oh, my mistake. Everything I found say that when the child bride, Terri, left when Apolo was 1, that Yuki was 37. But then, I never was very good at math.

[billiey36]

I understand the confusion, Sara. Yuki said People Magazine got it wrong and said he was 10 years older than he is. I have heard that sort of complaint about People before.

[Bella]

Billiey, sounds like your story is also a success story! Thanks for sharing it with us! Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming wedding. Will you be walking her down the aisle?

[billiey36]

Thanks, Bella. I offered to walk her down the aisle but she said no, nobody owns her, so nobody needs to give her away.

I will do something I haven't done in about 30 years, though. I will wear a skirt. The sacrifices we make for our kids!

[laura6]

billiey36 said:

Thanks, Bella. I offered to walk her down the aisle but she said no, nobody owns her, so nobody needs to give her away.

I will do something I haven't done in about 30 years, though. I will wear a skirt. The sacrifices we make for our kids![/quote

I am still in the place where I cannot deal with my sons having girlfreinds!!!!]

[billiey36]

How old are your sons, Laura? I know they start a lot younger than when I was growing up. I blame TV.

[August]

Thanks again for this thread/topic. I love "Team Ohno" and I'm glad for a special place to celebrate them on this site. Please keep the pictures coming!

[epiphaniii]

Two more beautiful Nikkei Concerns benefit pics I found thanks to Billiey and the Skatenw site she posted from on the Sexy Apolo thread.

[epiphaniii]

I think this was posted elsewhere on the site, but I like this photo of father and son celebrating Apolo's 24th birthday! The lady has been identified by fans in-the-know as Yuki's fiancée.