Parenting on Purpose

December 29, 2007. On that day, 15 years ago, I made the following vow: "I Mark Lim, take you, Sue Tan, to be my lawful wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. According to God's holy ordinances, and here thereto, I pledge you my faithfulness." When I made my marriage vows 15 years ago, I didn't fully understand every aspect of these words. Well, I definitely believed in everything I said, and I was determined to keep those vows, but I didn't fully appreciate the depth of the promises made. Over the past month, I've been reflecting about what these words mean, and I've taken the time to pen down my thoughts. Batam, Indonesia, December 2022. Celebrating our 15th year together. There have been so many ups and downs all these years; and we give thanks to God for keeping us close through it all. To have and to hold. What exactly does this phrase mea...

50.39 seconds. The (less than) one minute of time that made history for the small island nation of Singapore. Millions in Singapore and around the world watched as 21-year-old Joseph Schooling defeated his long-time idol and heavily-decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, the man described as "the most-decorated Olympian of all time". Indeed most of the international news footage had been previously focussed on Phelps, given that the American is expected to retire at this year's Rio Olympics. The New York Times even ran an article with the headline: " Somebody (His Name’s Joseph Schooling) Finally Beats Michael Phelps"! For Joseph Schooling, it could not have been a prouder moment, as he not only bagged Singapore's first and only Olympic Gold, it was also a race that proved he had not only matched, but also beaten his childhood idol. Indeed a 2008 photograph of 13-year-old Schooling standing side by side with Michael Phelps has been spreading like wildfire o...

It all started one morning when my almost-2-year-old son was crying uncontrollably outside our bedroom door.  Interrupting the little one in mid-cry, I tried unconvincingly to distract him.  “E. Enough crying. Come play blocks with Daddy.”  The young boy ignored me and persisted with his screaming. “E. How about if you come cooking with Daddy?” “Umm.“  The boy suddenly stopped his crying. Without the further shedding of a single teardrop, he turned silently, and purposefully marched to the kitchen.  “Cook with Daddy, “ he grunted. Early indications of our younger son's interest in cooking. All this happened about a month ago, and I recorded the events in a Facebook update: I should publish a book entitled "How to Cook with One Hand", a compilation of recipes on how to cook with your almost-2-year-old child; ranging from simple recipes on how to get your son to beat eggs for an omelette dish to the "dos" and "don'ts...

"I really can't wait to eat Claire's delicious dinner. She has always prepared a sumptious meal all these years... But this crazy rain seems to get heavier by the minute, and the traffic is really crazy... I wish we had arranged another day for our mentoring session..." That was my lament to Sue as we drove last Thursday to the home of Ben and Claire, the lovely couple who have been our relationship mentors even before we got married. The December monsoons had come a few weeks early, peak hour traffic was almost at a standstill, our son Z was getting a little cranky in his car seat, and we were very late - almost one hour to be precise. But the moment we entered the house, all strain and tiredness seemed to evaporate like the springtime mist. Ben was all smiles as he greeted us. "There's no need to apologise," he voiced, as we articulated the long story behind why we were so late. "What's most important is that you're here," echoed Cl...