Every muscle in my body protested. Every inner voice in my being screamed from the recesses within. "Don't do it!" they yelled. "You will make a fool of yourself!" they taunted. "Why are you so stupid? Why do you want to prove to the whole world how stupid you are?" "You know that you are a colossal failure. Now you want everyone in the world to see what a loser you are?" It was deafening deep within. But I did what I could to ignore the deep shame and hurt that I felt from within. The voices of shame can be deafening even in the presence of an external quietness. "The next event will be the Parents' Race. Will Mark Lim please proceed to the reporting area?" This was it. There would be no turning back now. So I dragged myself to the starting line, and mingled with the other homeschool dads who all looked eager to race. "I haven't done any running since I was in National Service," I remark...
This is a story of our parenting journey. We became parents by Purpose, on purpose. It is our heart to continue this journey in a purposeful posture; and to bring up our children so that they will know and understand their purpose in life.