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The Japanese have a saying: 'oya baka.'

Literally, it means 'a fool about your children.'

I am and have been an old-school father, but I'd like to become an 'oya baka' for a minute about son Nao, 25, who just climbed Mount Whitney.

(His full name is Michael Naomichi, and Nao's his nickname; the Japanese 'kanji,' or characters, for his name mean 'honest path' or 'straight road.' They're beautiful in print.)