Mike Chen - Designer, Entrepreneur
Mike Chen - Designer, Entrepreneur
"You become the voice inside their head."
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
I’m a naturalised Singaporean originally born in China, who has the privilege of pushing buttons for a living. I’m the father of twin boys, who never fail to disturb my beauty sleep during the weekends. Work-wise, I’m building the product design team at ShopBack, a South-east Asian ecommerce company founded in Singapore.
How old are your kid(s)?
They’re both 5 years old, born 8 minutes apart.
Who is the primary caregiver in the household, and what are you and your partner’s parenting philosophy?
My awesome stay-at-home wife takes up the majority of caregiving during the day, and I try my best to take over after work. We try to keep the kids busy with lots of activities, so they don’t have the chance to get up to naughty antics.
What's your favourite moment in the day with your kid(s)?
It’s been a tough year with the pandemic, but one of the upsides is being able to walk outside and just give a random hug, or even join whatever they’re doing for 1-2 minutes.
How do you keep yourself sane?
When the safe distancing rules allow, I try to spend 30 mins in the gym as my daily alone time.
Best tech tip on parenting. This can be apps / hardware / gear you use, and how you use them.
I use Mack’s Silicone Putty Earplugs on the one day in the week where I can sleep in. It works better than tech solutions like the Bose Sleepbuds, etc. Recently I’ve been getting into meditation again with Headspace.
Most helpful advice you've received as a parent.
You become the voice inside their head. It makes me mindful of what I say to them and to model good behaviour.
What lessons do you not want your kid(s) to learn?
Don’t play it too safe.
What was the best lesson you learned from your child?
Our kids are mildly autistic, meaning they view the world differently from us. They’ve taught us to be more empathetic, and that’s made me a better husband, son and collaborator at work.
What is your proudest dad moment?
Every few months there are moments when I marvel at how far they’ve come in such a short span of time, whether in conversations and social skills, or just general motor skills. But if I had to pick one, recently it’s their genuine interest for piano. They’ve started asking for more practice sessions on their own, and I’m struggling to drum up enough energy to keep up!
If you could ask anyone, dead or alive, for their best parenting tip, who and what would that be?
Bruce Lee! He’s such a philosopher - I’m pretty sure he’d come up with a parenting quote for the ages.
How do you manage technology exposure for your child/children?
We’re pretty strict on screen time as we read about the effects it can have on young children. We set a timer for 10 mins each time, and try to make it a reward if they do well.
What hobbies do you and your children share?
Lego! Obviously if the missus weren’t here to control me, I’d be buying boxes and boxes of them. You know, *cough cough* for the kids. I’m really looking forward to when they’re old enough to tackle an Imperial Star Destroyer with me. Luckily, I have a few more years to save up for that one ;)
Finally, your best dad joke!
The best ones are the improvised ones, I’m afraid!