To my regular readers, I know what you're thinking when you saw the title of this post. What? Another post on parenting teens? Why? A cursory search on my blog shows I've already posted several thoughts on parenting teens. Plus the smorgasbord of parenting tips that are a mere online search engine or ChatGPT click … Continue reading When parenting a teen, sometimes it’s ok to ‘let it rip’!
Parenting documentaries are a dime a dozen. All feature kids of course. But while most profile both the dads and the moms (mostly the moms), few focus primarily on dads. Unless it's religious in nature. Like the excellent 2014 documentary by Focus on the Family called "Irreplaceable." As well as most films (War Room; Courageous) … Continue reading Film Review – Apple TV Documentary “Dads”
The great Mark Twain once said: "Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.". Well, the truth is when it comes to my son, I do mind. And it does matter. Or rather I did mind, and I thought it mattered. Today I'm trying to remind myself of this … Continue reading My autistic son turned 12 today. I need to catch up.
Sometimes it's hard to put into words how I feel about my sons. Though regular readers here have no doubt seen some of my humble attempts to do that in past blog posts. But this struggle has become even more pronounced as I watch my sons grow year after year and change in ways most … Continue reading As another year ends, two silver linings bring hope to one dad’s parenting journey
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
Hey, welcome back to my occasional guest post series! Now some of you might remember my good friend and fellow dad Stephen from a moving post he contributed to my blog last December. Today I'm pleased to have him back! This time though, the topic is extremely controversial. So if you're not in the frame … Continue reading Guest post – A fellow dad’s appeal to protect SG
Slightly more than a month ago, I wrote what I called a 'truth' letter to my sons. It's a letter I hope they will read one day when they're old enough to understand. And one I hope contains truths they too will embrace as their own some day. For like it or not, this isn't … Continue reading Parents, don’t succumb to a binary world of simplistic-thinking
