Winterfell When hot meets coldThings become lukewarmHow does that figure?Does it mean hot won since There's no chill in lukewarmOnly warmth? I've debated for so longOver this crazy phenomenonAs a parent especiallyWith a cool cat teenager. How swell!!Who responds to my outbursts like The icy wall of Winterfell I don't know how many more timesI … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #197
Acclaimed singer/songwriter and Nobel laureate Eric Clapton opened his famous song "Change The World", which he wrote for his son, with these lyrics: If I could reach the stars, pull one down for you, shine it on my heart, so you could see the truth. That this love I have inside, is everything it seems…” … Continue reading It’s Time Stay Home Dads Wax Lyrical About Fatherhood
It's been so long since last I wrote a straight-up piece that this is about as good a time as any to do just that. You're probably wondering what I mean by a "straight-up" piece. I mean one not including sub-headings, images, and captions, all placed to supposedly enhance my piece's Search Engine Optimization or … Continue reading Fathering Softer #4 — Parenting Myself
My firstborn has had his own "screen", aka mobile phone, since the end of 2021. He was 12 then, going on 13. To ensure my wife and I set the right tone to cultivate responsible use of it, we had written up a phone contract which my son had to sign before he could have … Continue reading Fathering Softer #3 — Screen Time Is How Teens Connect
Welcome to my guest post series, and especially to the second and final part of this parenting post by my fellow stay-at-home dad and pal Josiah Ng. (His bio can be found at the end of this post) (If you are keen to be a guest writer on my blog, please check out my guidelines by … Continue reading Guest Post: What One Stay-Home Dad Learnt From His Son’s School Meltdowns (Part 2/2)
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
I remember as a kid, when school enrolment or administration moments come around, we would have to fill up among other things details of a next-of-kin in case of emergencies. For that, I would typically put down my father's name. This went on for pretty much all of my academic life as I progressed from … Continue reading Are fathers more “next-of-kin”, “next-of-skin” or “‘neath-the-skin”?
[An edited version of this post first appeared here] "No Lord! Not again! This can't be happening..." These words blazed across my brain like a lightning bolt out of the blue. Last Friday, the bodies of twin boys were recovered in a canal not far from a park and playground. (At the time of this … Continue reading A plea for caregiving fathers of special needs kids
Hey Sons! Happy New Year! Hopefully 2022 is going to be the year we see Covid become an endemic disease everywhere. More like the common cold rather than the never-ending pandemic it is now. But more importantly, this will be one major milestone year for you both. Not only are you approaching "teen-dom" , you're … Continue reading Parenting Motivations #8 — New school, new beginnings
