Parenting on Purpose

"May I direct Daddy?" asked the little voice at the back of the car. 'Sure, E," said the man at the wheel, as he handed over the pre-programmed GPS navigation system to the 5-year-old.  "Tell me how long it will take to get there, and whether I should go left or right ok?" "Sure Daddy. It's going to be 30 minutes. A very long journey." "30 minutes is not so bad. We'll be there soon ok?" "Ok, Daddy. You have to turn left very soon." "Oh? How soon E? How many metres?" "7-0-0 metres turn left. Turn left in 700, no 600 metres, Daddy." "OK. Thanks E. You really are a great help!" Car journeys are wonderful for long conversations with the children. Many of our precious moments have taken place in the car. It all began in Taiwan, when we were dealing with two whiny sons at the back of the car. Sue thought then that by letting our kids hold the phone, which w

I smiled nervously at my 7-year-old son and held my breath, waiting for the answer to my question. The wait was always unnerving; especially since I never had a clue as to what answer he would give. “How can I be a better Daddy?” I had ventured. The little boy looked earnestly at me, and replied in a soft gentle voice, “You could play more games with me.” “Anything else? Is there any other thing I could do to be a better Daddy?” “No, that’s all.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I had gotten off easy this time. I had learnt this approach some years back. The question “How can I be a better Daddy?” provides an insight into how we can affirm our children in a love language they understand. This principle is derived from Gary Chapman’s book,  The 5 Love Languages of Children . Chapman describes the five love languages that we use to communicate, namely Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gift Giving, Acts of Service and Physical Touch. Speaking My Child’s Love Language Eac

Our sons Z and E turned 7 and 5 during the last two weeks. It has been a wonderful time for all of us as we celebrated for a whole week and more, with numerous birthday parties and other festivities. And the boys chose what to do on their special days, with the 5-year-old electing to go MacDonald's for dinner as he only wanted to eat chicken nuggets and French fries. As for the 7-year-old, all he wanted to do was to stay at home to play card games and to enjoy his favourite dish of spaghetti bolognese.  Our little sweethearts on their special day. It brings us such joy to see how much they love each other. Yes they fight often; but they are also inseparable! Outside of the home, it has been a crazy time for me. When someone asks how I have been, I show them my July schedule, which indicates that I have not had a single day of not doing anything; each day in my calendar has been filled either with adjunct teaching or a training workshop or a school consultation or a postgra

Social media can be very deceiving. We scroll through the news feeds of people we know (or of celebrity bloggers and content experts), and assume that they are living perfect lives. With every holiday photo they post, every food picture presented, or every insightful article they write, we slip into social media envy and  assume that our friends are enjoying the time of their lives. And many people assume that of me as well. They seem to think that I am living the dream life with a wonderful job and wonderful kids. And when I meet people at my various engagements, I seem to get the nod that I am the model citizen of social media society.  A recent holiday in Disneyland. After long queues under the hot sun, we were quite the "model" family! There is some truth to this. At this moment, I can say that there is no other job I would rather do; to be my own boss and to conduct training workshops for others, sometimes with my wife; what more could a man ask for? And my kids? T

We are not parents who generally exercise, unfortunately. The only running I seem to do is the kind that involves keeping up with the kids, who are super fast on their scooters these days! Our two boys, however, love to run, in particular our older one. He exclaims very proudly, "I can run as fast as a cheetah!" before doing another dash. When we told him he'd be participating in the upcoming Kindness Run on May 14, 2017, Z got really excited and starting practising immediately. "Watch me run, Mummy!" The 800 metre Kid's Dash is a perfect start for children who have not raced before, like mine. There will be two categories - Ages 7 to 9, and 10 to 12 years.  The Kid's Dash is at 9.30 am in the peaceful and picturesque Pasir Ris Park, and follows the 10 kilometre Men's and Women's Competitive Run, which flags off earlier at 7 am. The whole Kindness Run aims to be a family affair, with its emphasis on kind acts and good running etiqu

Lights! Camera! Action! Every eye is riveted on the glitzy actors and actresses in their fancy costumes. And every effort is made in order to transform an ordinary theatre stage into a magical wonderland. After all, didn't the great bard once remark that "All the world is a stage and that men and women are merely actors and actresses with their own entrances and exits"? But William Shakespeare did not tell the full tale. Behind every successful actor is not only his or her performance, but also the numerous hidden men and women who work tirelessly behind the scenes, the "unseen but always present" invisible hands that keep the theatre production going like a clock in perpetual motion.  Ever wondered who are behind the "invisible hands" that make each musical production work? I Theatre's Poultry Tales is a show within a show. The production centres on the work of four stage crew as they make preparations for an upcoming performance. T

Cluck Cluck! Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Golden Eggs of course! Wait a minute. That doesn't sound right. Of course.  She crossed the road because the sky was falling! Oops. I meant she actually had some delicious bread to bake, but no one was there to help her! Oh no. I got it all wrong. But did i? I Theatre presents a new and interactive musical production that tells the story of not one, not two, but three feathered friends! There's The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, The Little Red Hen, and Chicken-Licken! And the trio band together to hatch a tale which stitches together a whole host of well-known folk stories. And it's no fowl play. The chickies will be sharing with the audience how a musical is made, and will share about the themes and morals of the stories. As I Theatre promises, the show is "g uaranteed to engage young and old alike", and is "specially designed with exciteme

Yes, I know. It's not a new tall, dark and handsome Korean movie star in our home, but the prospect of my new Korean backpack arriving by courier filled me with much anticipation last week.  I have been searching for quite a while for a new "Mommy" bag for myself, ever since my kids grew out of diapers. Something practical and still convenient to tote around, yet presentable and functional, which I could still wear out on most occasions, like going to church, without me looking like I was out for a trek with my boys (which happens to be my usual sort of OOTD, accompanied by a comfortable pair of shoes.)  As a homeschool mom, my bag often serves lots of purposes, from carrying picnic food for a park outing to holding homeschool resources for our weekly Classical Conversations class. W hen TLO, or Thelittleonesinmylife , distributor for some of the household brands of baby products, such as Haenim and Bellamom, offered the chance to review their new range of bags,