I promise not to cry. Or so I tell myself on a fairly regular basis. Yet what's wrong with crying? It reminds me of my frail humanity, doesn't it? Of how real the challenge of raising a kid, especially one with autism and special needs, is. Over the years, I've cried privately and openly enough. … Continue reading Daily Living With Autism #16 — Poor Balanced Scorecard
Dear J, my Precious Son Guess what? I never thought it'd happen, but I learned recently that I was in fact a bona fide "Tiger Mom" Dad! Okay okay, I hear you. What's that you're asking? Well, in a nutshell, this term was made popular globally by a 'nutty' professor called Amy Chua. She's this … Continue reading Fathering Softer #2 — No More “Tiger Mom” Dad!
Tomorrow is Father's Day and I wanted to take this time to acknowledge a special group of fathers I got to know since March this year. These wonderful gentlemen have given me new hope that maybe, even at this stage of my now five-year-journey as a stay home dad, it's still not too late to … Continue reading A community of non-traditional fathers
Two mornings ago, my wife and I sent C -- our youngest with autism -- to a three-day church camp. He was kicking and screaming in protest as usual. It's what he does every time there's a change in routine. After a while, I too felt like kicking and screaming, as my wife and I … Continue reading Fathering Softer #1 — “being” not “doing”
Yesterday I was sharing with a couple of friends how parenting is analogous to navigating open waters. For currents and weather are often unpredictable, even to the most seasoned of fishermen. The same goes for parenting. Babies don't stay babies. Neither do toddlers and prepubescent boys. They grow. They change. In ways not always predictable. … Continue reading Father-son bonding #3 — Investing emotionally in children pays the “best dividends”
Looking back, one of my regrets in life is that I didn't mature faster. If I did, perhaps I could have gotten more done before I turned 50 two years ago. So what brought on this sudden sob story you ask? For one, a lifetime of wondering what if I could have turned back the … Continue reading Parenting motivations #15 — how can my sons mature faster?
It's official. Since my last post on this, I've decided: I shall not call myself a "stay-at-home dad" anymore! In fact, technically speaking, I probably couldn't from the very start when I stepped away from a full-time career in 2018. While I had several weeks and months without any work or income thereafter, I did … Continue reading Parenting Motivations #14 — Am I still a stay-at-home dad? (Part 2)
It was bound to happen I suppose. Just when I thought everything was cool and we have the best kid in the world, he goes and breaks the family rule on handphones. Despite having signed a contract for it too. And in so doing, break a trust. Talk about a reality check! For wilful defiance … Continue reading Parenting Motivations #13 — Of handphones and trust
No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. And no, my blog title doesn't contain a typo. I really am 400 today! Or rather, this is now officially my 400th blog post! By sheer dogged perseverance, I've pushed myself hard to relentlessly churn one post after another since April 2019. My pace doubled in 2020 … Continue reading In the blink of an eye, I’m 400!
All of us go about our days wearing different hats as we transit from one role to another. When at work, we’re the power executive in tailor-made Armani suits. After work we change into our Lululemon sports gear for that weekly HIIT workout. Then afterwards, we’re home in our Alex Mill PJs tucking our kids … Continue reading Parenting motivations #11 — Am I still a stay-at-home dad? (Part 1)
