MANY parents find it a significant challenge once their child enter the later tweens, as they near the onset of the teenage years. "What am I doing wrong?", "Why does he (or she) not listen to me as before?", "How do I get through to him (or her) now?". These might be a few of the questions being asked. It can be an emotionally trying period for all. Suddenly (or so it seems), the easy and unquestioning lead that the child took from his or her parent is not being pursued; instead the relationship is fraught with questions and arguments. Edwin Choy, co-founder of the Centre for Fathering begins a multi-part article on how parents, especially the father can cope, as they transit from being unchallenged leaders to their
children to more appropriate coaches.

WE are into the second month of the calendar year, and crossing into the new Lunar Year of the Tiger. Family resolutions for 2010 (or for that matter, Tiger year resolutions) should celebrate the strengths in our families. This is positive reinforcement and by this we also acknowledge the fact that we do not take each other in the family for granted. In this article (based on an earlier "Parenting Today" radio broadcast), Edwin Choy, co-founder and director of the Centre for Fathering focuses on the impact of fathering resolutions for the new year.

IN the wake of the 12 January earthquake in Haiti, we have been inundated with perhaps disturbing pictures of the dead and the surviving injured. How does one react appropriately to such events and images of them? Can we use such instances to teach our children the need for and value of compassion for the less fortunate in our society and explore ways of constructive responses, and in so doing strengthen positive family values? The Centre for Fathering (CFF) gives some pointers.

NOTING that family types are not static but dynamic, generally a family might vary its structure between three observable characteristic types or patterns, according to the developmental stages in their children's lives. In highlighting these types, writer Philip Chang from the Centre for Fathering (CFF) raises reflection pointers for us to ponder in our continuing effort to be thoughtful and responsible fathers/parents, to promote healthy modelling and development in our family.

IN the highly competitive society we live in, we are constantly on the lookout for that edge to give our child, to ensure he or she can be all that they can be. We keep our ears close to the ground, scan the environment of the news media and elsewhere to gain that extra secret to help our child attain their potential. That is our heartfelt legacy to our children. In this search for 'secrets', we could sometimes overlook or underestimate the importance of a very important 'secret', one which the Centre for Fathering (CFF) touches on in this short article.