THE connection between affirmation and positive behaviour is well-known. In fact it can lead to reduction or perhaps even elimination of undesirable patterns of conduct because your child is more likely to weigh your thoughts on thorny issues if there is a constructive relationship between you and your child. The challenge to parents is to act to bring it about in the midst of the stresses and pressures of making a living to bring home the bacon. "Why can't you behave?" referring to the parent's expectations of right conduct. You would think that's the least your child could do since you work hard to give them a good home and provide their daily needs. This descent into a form of negativity prevents us from seeing new possibilities of resolving difficult situations argues Edwin Choy of the Centre for Fathering in this second part of a series on fathers as coach in a family.

UNLESS a family is outdoor sports-oriented, it is likely that a child gets his or her early introduction to team sports via their school CCAs. In the primary school, the common ones would be netball and football with greater participation by those in the upper primary (late tweens, ages 11-12). And since 2007, there's a new team sport CCA, floorball. Some experts may argue, based on developmental criteria, that the early to mid tweens (7-10 years) may be too soon for team sports participation. Others may disagree citing other benefits. But the existence of such team sports CCAs in our primary schools underscore the value(s) a child can acquire if the participation is under proper guidance. Former athletes (individual and team sports) and educators provide their perspectives in this two-part article.

ACCORDING to a Chinese legend, the Tiger is associated with the role of taking on the strong to protect the weak. Famous "Tigers" include key Chinese historical leader Sun Yat-sen (a basis for the December 2009 movie release, "Bodyguards and Assassins"), legendary world traveller Marco Polo, famous wartime American president Dwight D Eisenhower and celebrated actress Marilyn Monroe.

Other "Tigers" that you may recognise: Queen Elizabeth II; composer Beethoven; musicians Enya, Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Paul Abdul; actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Yeoh, Jodie Foster, Sir Alec Guiness; major American poet Emily Dickinson; writers Judy Blume, Emily Bronte, Beatrix Potter.

But we are puzzled: Isn't the Lion a more appropriate occupant of the Chinese Zodiac? So, how indeed did the Tiger get on the Zodiac?

WESTERN tradition traces the origin of the first "Valentine" to the 3rd century AD. But much earlier, 15 February was celebrated as a Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia marking the start of spring and dedicated to Faunus, Roman god of agriculture (equivalent to the Greek god Pan). Later in the Middle Ages, the Valentine celebration was linked to 14 February, the day "birds began to pair" after winter breaks for spring. With spring comes the thawing of spirits after the long and cold winter, and thoughts lift to a new cycle of life and growth, that we fondly call romance. This year 2010 is special, as the start of the Chinese Spring festival (Lunar New Year) coincides with Valentine's Day. The business significance of Valentine's Day is underscored by a Greeting Card Association statistic, that an estimated billion cards are sent during this period, making it the second-largest card-sending holiday of the year after Christmas (2.6 billions cards exchanged).