Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 2, 1 March 1984 — "Growing Child" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"Growing Child"

There are many exciting and interesting events and actions whieh make the position of being a Trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs a very challenging one. Because OHA is a "growing child," it requires a great deal of nurturing and attention comparable to that of raising one's own children. Eaeh Trustee devotes a lot of time to his or her respective assigned duties by the mandate whieh created OHA. A major portion of this time is voluntary and uncompensatory — manuahi, aloha, for free! All of us who are parents are fully aware of the responsibilities in caring for a three-year-old child. Among the many responsibilities, the job requires constant and continuous attention in order to

L * € mold, direct, guidc and educate that child so that the future will offer a variety of alternatives. Being a parent is a full-time job. Let's not kid anyone because you know it and I know it. The same is true with OH A. Our three-year-old needs and deserves all the attention and care it ean get, not only from the Trustees but from all who are interested — Native Hawaiians, Hawaiians and others. After all, do we as parents abandon our three-year-old children to fend for themselves while we go out and have ourselves a ball? I don't think caring and sensible parents do this. OH A is the opportunity for all of us to be involved and to work together. It is not an opportunity for us to be taking stabs and jabs at eaeh other.

By Piilani C. Desha Trustee, Hawai'i