Adrian Koh - Marketer, Writer
"Forgiveness can be found in a warm hug."
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
I'm a lecturer in Republic Polytechnic in Singapore, covering business and social enterprise. Previously I spent time working in tech wearing different hats in different roles, from marketing, comms and public relations (PR).
How old are your kid(s)?
My son is 12 (who's just done with his PSLE!) and my little girl is 3. Both keep me very busy, especially on the weekends.
Who is the primary caregiver in the household, and what are you and your partner’s parenting philosophy?
My wife and I share the load of caregiving pretty evenly.
The best way to sum up our parenting philosophy is that it's based on our faith, with a good mix of Asian values.
What's your favourite moment in the day with your kid(s)?
Putting them to bed. I make it a point to say a little prayer and let them know they are loved. So no matter what happens in the day, we always end on a good note.
How do you keep yourself sane?
Wow - this is very much a work in progress! With everything's that going on, it's a challenge to hold everything together. That said, to keep myself going, I do make time to fully disengage from work. I keep Saturday as work-free as possible, and once the kids are asleep on Fridays I hang with a good buddy to welcome the weekend.
Best tech tip on parenting. This can be apps / hardware / gear you use, and how you use them.
I did this with my son when he was younger and saw that he was getting a little too attached to the iPad mini. We gave him one charge cycle a week, which meant probably 2-3 hours of play time. After a while, he learnt to manage his screen time pretty well!
Most helpful advice you've received as a parent.
Enjoy and celebrate every stage of life that your children are at; we really only have them for a little while!
Also, that for children, what's caught is often more impactful than what's taught.
What lessons do you not want your kid(s) to learn?
To judge anyone or anything too quickly.
What was the best lesson you learned from your child?
That forgiveness can be found in a warm hug.
What is your proudest dad moment?
This is a hard one! One highlight has to be when my little boy played at his first piano recital and played beautifully. It's a joy to see him love music the way he does.
If you could ask anyone, dead or alive, for their best parenting tip, who and what would that be?
I'd like to ask Jeff Bezos' dad, Mike Bezos, on how he built a home for his family. It's an inspiring story. Actually, I'd love to speak to immigrant parents who beat the odds and raised families who made an impact on society. They made a huge sacrifice, knowing that they might never reap the rewards themselves, but the generations to come would.
How do you manage technology exposure for your child/children. For eg, thoughts on screen time etc.
The best thing to do to keep children away screens is to spend time with them instead. Unless it's video games. Then it's a free pass for all of us!
What hobbies do you and your children share?
Board games and video games! Also, reading.
Finally, your best dad joke!
Too many, my son would tell you. Best one I've been tormenting my children with is:
Me: What colour is Spiderman?
Son: Red? And Blue?
Me: White.
Son: What!
Me: 是白的(shì bái dē)man*
(*literal meaning of “it’s white” in Chinese and phonetically, Spiderman)