tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85314472054878429142011-08-14T01:50:57.453-07:00<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><b><center>Insights and experiences on building and maintaining a loving family.</b></center>David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-34738703163887614592011-07-23T20:09:00.000-07:002011-07-23T20:09:55.221-07:00

If you are wondering what to do during the long weekend and just can't stand the hot and humid outdoors... watch this animated movie "Joseph - King of Dreams"!  My 6-year-old son and I thoroughly enjoyed it especially the catchy and touching songs! It has elements of love, parenthood, hope, faith, forgiveness and adventure! Though it's quite an old movie, the animation is very good! Check out

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-91468265555956359232011-05-22T00:15:00.000-07:002011-05-22T17:11:39.746-07:00

I watched the movie Enchanted with my wife and son last evening. It wasn't planned but we felt lazy and decided to be couch potatoes. I chose the Enchanted DVD even though I had watched it many times. Surprisingly, my 6-year-old son enjoyed it and so did my wife who had forgotten most of it and found it very romantic! I loved it too as the songs are ever so catchy, funny and contagiously joyous!

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-1249313644310974972011-03-10T17:39:00.000-08:002011-03-10T17:46:20.967-08:00

http://www.foreverthemovie.com.sg While driving, I struggled to recall the melody of the theme song of "Forever"... like the movie itself, it's not catchy nor impressionable but somehow it has the uncanny ability to tug at my heartstrings - perhaps it's Joanna Dong's mesmerizing vocals, the charming Mo Tzu Yi, the enchanting music, the breathtaking cinematography or Love, the movie's elusive

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-90261762365578965132011-02-12T23:52:00.001-08:002011-02-14T18:58:56.792-08:00

I just celebrated my 10-year wedding anniversary on 10 Feb. I can't believe it has been 10 years as both my wife and I can still behave lovingly like new lovers! The passage of time has not smothered the fire of our love! In retrospect, I felt that we were like any other couple with the usual ups and downs and our fair share of arguments and misunderstandings. In fact, many family and friends

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-77883727787500673892010-11-14T03:23:00.001-08:002011-02-12T22:12:05.420-08:00

My 5-year-old son Xavier was once praised by his tutor to be a "Lamborgini" because of his amazing ability to quickly understand primary school stuff. I took the opportunity to explain to him that his talents should be used for the good of society and not only for himself. I wasn't expecting him to fully understand me so I was very surprised that he exclaimed that he wants to be "Everything" to

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-45010677148046508142010-05-21T18:50:00.000-07:002010-05-21T19:20:23.879-07:00

Imagine your lovely wife having no memories of you.Imagine your adorable children never existed.Imagine your best of friends running away from you.Imagine you only have 24 hours left.Imagine you are fully responsible for all of the above! For me, it's absolutely unimaginable!! But for my favourite non-fairy tale hero Shrek, it is a stark reality worse than the worst reality show in his latest (

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-79511160304557600212010-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:002010-03-01T16:13:26.600-08:00

My 4-year-old son Xavier excitedly ran to the the Pools Amphitheatre for Jurong Bird Park's debut screening of Yona Yona Penguin, a Japanese cartoon movie.It was a special family outing because it was a rare opportunity to catch a movie outdoors in Singapore! My wife was initially not very keen because of the hot weather but it turned out to be as not bad as she thought.My teenage niece was most

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-50363458446786445502009-12-26T08:14:00.000-08:002009-12-26T09:03:29.427-08:00

I thoroughly regretted not giving my son due attention this evening... I was working on my new homepage when he returned home and excitedly came to hug me.He noticed that I was engrossed in my work and asked me what it was about - but what can I say to a 4-year-old about webpage design and the need to stay focused? So I just said something simple to humor him and continued with my work.He didn't

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-48578586517025147262009-10-04T08:02:00.000-07:002009-10-04T17:50:49.898-07:00

"Five little ducks, went out one day, over the hills and far away..."Ooops, sorry, can't help but sing the catchy tune after watching "Farm Animals", a children's DVD from BabyTV's "My First Years Library" series !Initially, I was worried that my four-year-old son Xavier will find the DVD boring because it's meant for kids aged from 6 months to 4 years. Moreover, with more action-packed cartoons

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-85171586819598655482009-04-04T00:50:00.000-07:002010-04-10T23:26:28.571-07:00

Firefighters never leave their partners behind, no matter how dangerous the situation may be; it's a code of honour and a commitment that is the bedrock of firefighting. I believe it should be the same with marriage... many couples don't realise that like firefighting, a divorce is an abandonment of one's partner that leads to dire consequences which affect both themselves and their families.

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-72147777680208493132009-01-21T07:27:00.000-08:002010-04-10T23:27:42.465-07:00

If you had your way, what kind of show would you allow your kids to watch on TV for long-term? Here's my guess: 1. It must interesting and engaging- how else to keep a kid still?? 2. It must teach important life lessons - no point wasting time on just pure entertainment right?? 3. It must easy to understand - which would appreciate quantum mechanics?? 4. It must not be too lengthy - you wouldn't

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-33240882819548234512008-10-11T01:55:00.000-07:002010-04-10T23:32:22.209-07:00

We sleep about a third of our lives but surprisingly, we know so little about the importance of sleep... especially for young kids. Sleep disorders in children are largely undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness, even among doctors. In addition, most disorders would naturally outgrow with time and thus, generally dismissed as non-critical. A comprehensive list of sleep disorders can be found here

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-30303086637514436922008-08-17T08:55:00.000-07:002008-08-17T09:19:15.021-07:00

I was touched to tears when I viewed a short movie clip about a Dad realizing how much he had touched the life of his six-year-old - not by anything spectacular - but simply by spending time.I felt very sad and guilty about all the precious time that I'd somehow missed with my wife, my son, and my family members because of some other "more important" stuff which I'd mostly forgotten...View that

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-25470761667794604482008-07-06T02:25:00.000-07:002008-07-12T04:36:23.134-07:00

Mr Condom: I've called for an urgent meeting because our popularity might be threatened.Ms Pill: Nah, how can it be? We have good track records and besides, we have the support of many because we are a good regular source of income and thus good for businesses and the economy!Mr Condom: Hello, haven't you heard of Natural Family Planning (NFP)?? It's effective, approved by religious authorities,

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-48658634794752670232008-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:002008-06-21T06:11:40.960-07:00

Very often, we hope to change people (for the better) by nagging/lecturing them, openly showing our disapproval/frustration or even withdrawing our love. But I am sure you would know by now that it is extremely difficult to do so with the above methods, especially with the younger generation, and more so for our close family members. Somehow, we all resist attempts to change us, even

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-45710106923621995402008-06-13T23:04:00.000-07:002008-06-13T23:08:32.554-07:00

We all savour the moments when we are in a position to say "I told you so" - it feeds our ego and imbues us with a sense of superiority.Conversely, we all dread the moments when we are in a position to hear "I told you so" - it deflates our ego!So let us always avoid saying "I told you so", knowing how terrible it is to be the receiving party - instead, just point out the mistake and say

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-40422521500963500842008-06-07T03:34:00.000-07:002008-06-07T03:52:35.134-07:00

It's sad but unfortunately true that we tend to catch people doing the wrong things; this is especially true within the family.How often do we find ourselves noticing and complaining that things are wrongly kept, dishes are left undone, clothes are not properly washed and appliances not switched off when not in use?No doubt it is important to right the above wrongs but it is far more important to

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-41209657262951622672008-05-30T16:54:00.000-07:002008-05-30T16:56:58.371-07:00

Many people, including myself, find it hard to say sorry. Somehow, the human ego avoids apologies like plague and tries heroically to justify itself even in the most impossible of situations; it strangely views admission of faults/mistakes as a sign of failure and weakness...The truth cannot be further! The ability to apologise is in fact a sign of triumph and greatness because it shows that one

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-11454313428717987442008-05-27T16:27:00.000-07:002008-05-27T19:10:03.335-07:00

It has been a while since I last organised an outing for my big extended family - last Saturday 24 May 2008, 7 of us (3 generations) had FREE rides on the DUCKtour - courtesy of Nuffnang, in conjunction with the National Family Celebrations 2008.All of us had great fun even though the tour brought us to familiar places (it's more meant for tourists) - somehow even mundane stuff can become magical

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-29570186476311123512008-05-23T16:32:00.000-07:002008-05-23T16:44:53.609-07:00

After marriage, many of my friends said they hesitated to start a family because of financial reasons as well as the desire to enjoy couplehood for a couple of years first. Some even said they would never have children because children are so problematic!I feel sad that they view parenthood as something burdensome to be avoided - this misconception must be corrected, so I hope parents would share

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-71386780837222938262008-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:002010-04-11T00:08:58.883-07:00

Most parents grossly underestimate the tremendous learning abilities of their babies and wrongly assume that education should begin later when their babies are older and "more intelligent". But in fact, the contrary is true: babies and children below six are super learners! I was one of these parents too... until I chanced upon Glenn Doman's revolutionary book "How To Teach Your Baby To Read".

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-3302544845778860422008-05-20T09:20:00.000-07:002010-04-11T00:11:15.051-07:00

I highly recommend the Spider-Man Trilogy for the family, especially for our young ones - there are many important lessons that can be learnt besides the awesome action & touching romance: Spider-Man 1: Power & Responsibility Peter Parker paid a high price to learn that with great power comes great responsibility - he indirectly caused his dear Uncle's death by allowing a robber to escape

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-14097088044525624442008-05-20T09:06:00.000-07:002008-05-20T09:12:16.547-07:00

For many years, I was placed in charge of disciplining my nieces and nephews because their Dad was overseas most of the time. It was difficult to mete out punishment because somehow, I always had this fear at the back of my mind: the kids would dislike or even hate me for punishing them.However, I know that without punishments, it is impossible to inculcate discipline in kids below 12 years old

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-44133031937447644502008-05-20T08:52:00.000-07:002008-05-20T08:56:41.636-07:00

The Internet is filled with much undesirable content that threatens the family. Hence, it is critical to protect ourselves and our children from unwittingly or deliberately accessing webpages that corrode morality and demean our very human nature.I strongly recommend installing internet family filters in every computer in the family - you can find a free and effective filter here. I have been

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-22244050935296977502008-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:002008-05-20T08:33:33.130-07:00

Ever since my father's massive stroke in 2006, my family has grown closer. We now take every opportunity to gather at my dad's home in Ghim Moh Road, e.g. the recent Mother's Day, Christmas 2007, etc.Our favourite routine during such gatherings is to have potluck - we all enjoy being surprised by new exotic food as well as savouring our all-time favourites like Guo Tie. Indeed, nothing beats

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-21760690912203686062008-05-19T03:26:00.000-07:002008-05-19T03:28:45.570-07:00

"I can live for two months on one good compliment." Mark Twain (1835-1910) Famous Writer, author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"I was brought up in an Asian culture where family members do not usually compliment one another openly - for fear of puffing up one's pride and inducing complacency. No doubt this fear is rightly justified to a certain extent but it somehow caused us to move to the

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-31361374181558696792008-05-19T03:21:00.000-07:002008-05-19T03:23:57.426-07:00

Raising kids is certainly no child's play - it can be exhausting, frustrating and even agonising at times.But it can be fun, enjoyable, and fulfilling too if one embraces it with a positive attitude and sees things from a retrospective viewpoint! Check out Let the Games Begin now for a comic perspective of raising kids!Whether you're an experienced or rookie parent or just contemplating

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-46012839153326355032008-05-12T15:29:00.000-07:002008-05-12T15:31:17.318-07:00

Listening is such seemingly simple and basic human ability that many are unaware of its intricacies and immense power to lift hearts and deepen relationships. As a result, many do not listen well and even neglect listening in the first place!When you listen to someone, you are actually telling him/her subconsciously that you care/love enough to want to spend time getting into his/her world while

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-13505935211688232582008-05-12T15:09:00.000-07:002008-05-12T15:18:25.762-07:00

Whenever my wife and I have an argument (defined here as a heated exchange of views), we would always end up being upset with each other - regardless of who won the argument...In fact, there are no winners in any argument - if you win, you actually lose because you have lost the goodwill of the other party; nobody likes to lose an argument regardless of who's right or wrong! Hence, there is only

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-49242559694097955612008-05-03T02:17:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:33:15.577-07:00

It's real sad that some kids are mistakenly labelled as lazy, anti-social or even stupid when they are actually suffering from developmental disorders. And if such disorders are not diagnosed and treated early, it would not only devastate the child's self-confidence but would also affect the child's education and social life.Here're four common childhood disorders:1. Attention-Deficit

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-90681640084218648922008-04-22T16:39:00.000-07:002010-04-11T00:25:23.081-07:00

We all know it's not easy to maintain and nurture good relationships with people because miscommunications and misunderstandings are difficult to avoid; the difficulty bar is raised with family members because of our tendency to take them for granted. One concept which can help us tremendously in building good relationships with our family members is the concept of the Emotional Bank Account (

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-87157438457118260032008-04-05T02:19:00.000-07:002008-05-12T15:13:50.911-07:00

The most romantic and momentous event in any couple's journey of love is the moment when the immortal words of the marriage vow are uttered: "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honour you all the days of my life."But given today's rising divorce rates and complicated marital woes, is there still hope for an eternal love story?I

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-53483990657579188292008-04-04T23:24:00.000-07:002008-05-12T15:28:46.199-07:00

It's a common fallacy in our modern society that it suffices to spend quality time with our families while spending a vast quantity of time on our jobs.The fact is that a small amount of "quality" time simply cannot replace a huge "quantity" of time when it comes to maintaining relationships; spending 10 minutes of "quality" time with your kids while you are burying yourself in work for the rest

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-86586147288708323352008-03-16T16:17:00.000-07:002008-05-12T15:18:25.762-07:00

Once upon a time, there were 3 princes named Truth, Lie & Tact, who were all potential heirs to the Kingdom of Wisdom. To determine who would be the crown prince, Queen Sensitive decided to test them with a difficult question: "My dear sons, am I fat and ugly?"Truth: Yes, my queen, I am afraid so.Lie: No, my queen! On the contrary, you're the slimmest and most beautiful woman I've ever met!Tact:

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-60853616428606132022008-01-20T17:07:00.000-08:002009-03-07T01:05:35.392-08:00

I was very sad when I learnt that a good friend of mine just had an abortion. It was a most difficult decision for her but she just couldn't find an alternative solution...Most of us would know the pro-life and pro-choice arguments on abortion, but little on practical abortion alternatives such as adoption. Personally, I feel that many abortions can be avoided with the right support delivered at

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-51977588043316999462008-01-11T23:55:00.000-08:002008-05-12T15:23:56.293-07:00

If you find it difficult to get your primary school or teenage child do his homework, it's time you do some homework yourself:)If your child is a boy, I am sure you must have heard him talk about card trading games like Pokemon, Duel Masters, and online games like MapleStory, Counter-Strike and DotA. He would also probably be bugging you to buy a PSP, DS, Xbox 360, Wii or PS3.If you are

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-77463633284647024062008-01-05T01:31:00.001-08:002008-05-12T15:22:47.905-07:00

I've been coaching my nephews and nieces for many years and I realised that the teenage years are the most difficult periods - both for me and them.I've weathered such stormy times and discovered that kite-flying is a simple yet apt analogy for dealing with teenagers.There're just two key points:Learn to let go: Just as it's physically impossible for a kite to fly higher if one refuses to let go

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531447205487842914.post-13973324301754262752008-01-04T01:38:00.000-08:002008-05-12T15:25:39.365-07:00

I must confess that I had been a typical over-confident, traffic-rules-sceptic and child-seat-protesting male driver... until I read a recent article in Reader's Digest entitled "Hidden Dangers in Your Car".It utterly jolted me and made me realise what an irresponsible driver I was, putting myself and my family in mortal danger with my slack attitude!I really gotta thank and praise God for

David Woonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470932939686721633noreply@blogger.com0